Sistertale
by Butterflie64
Summary: All Hope wants when she takes her sister and runs away from home is to be as far from her abusive father as possible. The last thing she expects is to fall down the hole on top of Mt. Ebott. Now she must venture forth, battling internal and external monsters that threaten everything she holds dear. Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale. Rated T for sensitive content.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Groggily, Frisk sat up. She was in a little clearing with golden flowers underneath her and stone walls surrounding on all sides. There was a spotlight on the place where she sat, but all else was cloaked in shadow. There was a single opening.

Glancing behind her, Frisk noticed her sister, Hope. She was sleeping. The girl twitched slightly, then went still. Frisk stared at her for a moment before hearing a voice from the doorway.

"Howdy!" the voice chirped sweetly. Frisk quickly hopped to her feet and ran hurried towards the owner.

A bright yellow flower with a friendly, cartoonish face came into view as she approached. Frisk was a little surprised for a moment before a bright smile split across her face. Talking flowers were always nice.

"I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower!" the brightly petaled plant continued, still beaming, "You're new to the Underground, arent'cha?" Frisk nodded eagerly, and somehow, Flowey's smile grew even brighter. He giggled slightly. "You must be really confused! Someone ought to teach you how things work around here!" He giggled again then looked humbled. "Guess I'll have to do, won't I?" Frisk looked down at Flowey with a childish kind of eagerness. Flowey's smile brightened again.

"Ready?" he asked, almost cheered, and the world around them went black and white. Frisk whipped their head around at the sudden change and gazed questioningly back at Flowey. A red heart hovered in the air in front of Frisk. Her eyes flicked between it and the flower curiously.

"See that heart?" Flowey chirped, and Frisk nodded, smiling, "That's your soul. It starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain enough LV!" Frisk stared at the little heart with interest. She didn't know her soul was a heart. "What's LV stand for?" Flowey chided with a wink, "Why, LOVE, of course!" Frisk's smile widened. Love sounded like a nice thing.

"You want some love, don't you?" the flower's chipper voice asked, and Frisk nodded eagerly, "Don't worry, I'll share." he winked again before continuing, "Down here, love is represented in, uh… little white friendliness pellets." Frisk nodded. Little white pellets appeared in a semicircle above Frisk. "Here, catch as many as you can!" Flowey prompted. He winked and stuck out his tongue. Frisk giggled. The little pellets shot downward, and Frisk spread out her arms to catch as many as she could.

Just as the little pellets touched Frisk's arms, she felt a burning sensation. She couldn't quite pinpoint any one spot it hurt, but the pain seemed to spread to every part of her body. She looked up and saw her soul flashing briefly before it abruptly stopped, taking the pain with it. Flowey's face had contorted into a sinister smile.

"YOU IDIOT!" he gloated, his tone now menacing instead of it's chipper, friendly self, "In this world, it's kill or BE killed!" He laughed an evil, spine tingling sound. Frisk stared at the flower, suddenly very frightened.

"Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this?" Flowey growled, and a tight circle of the pellets formed around Frisk. " _Die._ " The pellets started closing in, and Frisk curled into a little ball with her hands over her head. She sobbed and could feel the pellets closing in, about to destroy her soul…

Suddenly, all the pellets disappeared. Frisk raised her head, trembling, to see a stunned Flowey. A ball of fire came out of nowhere and collided with him. Flowey screamed in pain and disappeared into the ground. Frisk looked up to see her rescuer.

A large goat woman stepped out from behind a pillar and smiled reassuringly at Frisk. "What terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth." She frowned in the direction Flowey disappeared to. "Ah do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins." She gestures around her. "I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time. Come," she gestured toward her, "I will guide you through the catacombs."

Everything became colored again, and Toriel smiled at the child. "This way." she prompted, disappearing through another doorway. Frisk smiled brightly and ran after her, short hair flying behind her. The woman was really nice, and Frisk felt instantly drawn to her. Toriel smiled as the child approached and held out her hand. Frisk took it, and they walked deeper into the Ruins together.

* * *

" _Please, don't send her away!"_

" _Hope, you know we have no choice. Would you just calm down and think for a moment-"_

" _No! I will not calm down! You're about to tear my little sister away from her family!"_

" _We're not her family. You know she doesn't like it here."_

" _That's because you don't try! I've actually bonded with her a lot over these past few months, and she likes it here. She wants to stay."_

" _She's just a detriment to us. We don't need her-"_

" _What?! How could you say that!?_ _"_

 _"You know it's true."_

 _"All I know is that you are a horrible parent!"_

" _Hope! You are not allowed to talk to me like that!"_

" _And you're not allowed to take my sister away from me forever!"_

Hope woke with a start from her dream and shuddered. She never wanted to relive those moments ever again. That fight had been awful, and she'd never talked to her parents like that before. She was always the good kid. Why did her parents have to make such a heartbreaking decision…

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she realized that something felt... off. She scanned her surroundings and realization dropped on her like a ton of bricks. Oh no. Where did she go?

"Frisk?" Hope called out into the shadows, hoping her sister was nearby, "Frisk?!" Panic rose within her, and she prayed to God that her little sibling was near. She rocketed to her feet rather clumsily and tried again. "Frisk! Where are you?"

Silence.

A shiver rose up her spine and she pushed it down. Where could that little angel be? It wasn't like her to just wander off, and she was with her when they fell. Hope jogged through the looming doorway. It seemed empty at first, but then she heard a faint mumbling from one of the shadowed corners.

"Hello?" Hope called into the darkness, and the voice ceased, "I-Is someone there?" She heard the faint sound of dirt shifting, and a flower popped up right in front of her. She jumped a mile.

Umm… what.

The flower had bright yellow petals, which was normal, but it also had another, rather... unusual feature. It had a face. A face. On a flower. And it was staring at her, looking vaguely annoyed. Hope nervously pushed the wispy strands of hair from her face.

"Did you… fall down here too?" the flower asked, looking less bothered now and more puzzled. Hope stared for a moment longer before clearing her throat awkwardly.

"Yeah, I guess." Hope muttered, then her eyes shot wide open and stared at the flower, "Wait wait wait, 'too'? What do you mean 'too'?!" The creature gazed at her with an unusual amount of skepticality.

"Um… as well as. In addition to. You know, there's another human here." The flower huffed, its annoyance returned. It stared at Hope like she was an unusual breed of stupid. "Why does it matter to you?"

Hope gazed warily at the flower. Something about it seemed untrustworthy, and it had certainly done nothing thus far to prove her wrong. She continued to stare. The flower huffed.

"Fine!" it snapped in a manner comparable to a businessman about to be late to a meeting, "Don't trust me then! I have better things to do than sit here and wait for you to decide whether or not you like me." Giving Hope one last, hard glare, the flower disappeared into the ground.

Hope stared. That was… unusual. She didn't think flowers could speak, but evidently she had been proven wrong. She huffed slightly, fighting the urge to stick out her tongue. Well, at least she had a story to take home.

No, wait. She couldn't go home. Dad… he would never understand. He would never forgive her, and Frisk would certainly be taken immediately. Frisk…

Hope glanced around the room. There was another opening, a doorway, across the room from the one she came through. That flower said another human had come through here. It must've meant Frisk. Without a second thought, Hope marched into the next room, ready to find her sister. Perseverance filled every ounce of her.

* * *

(A/N Hey everyone, whoever everyone may be. *looks out at audience of approximately five people and clears throat*

Well, thank you for checking out my story. This is my very first, so it may not be very good, but I'll be looking for ways to improve in the future. Feel free to or not to review my story. Either is fine, though I would definitely appreciate some feedback. I'll be updating at least weekly, probably more often. I'm really eager to get going with this story. Anyway, I'll be looking forward to writing more in the future!)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Hope marched into the next room, perseverance flooding through her. She stopped abruptly, eyes wide in amazement.

The walls were made of a purplish brick, and the ground was a matching shade. There was a thin path leading to two sets of stairs, which led upwards to a platform about five feet above. In front of the stairs was an odd, bright ball of energy, strongly resembling a star. Hope approached it warily. It seemed harmless and was really quite beautiful. She reached out and touched the spark before she could stop herself, and suddenly felt an odd tingling.

 _The shadow of the Ruins looms above, your sister likely nearby. You are filled with PERSEVERENCE._

Hope whipped her head around, searching for the source of the voice. It was odd, almost sounding like it was inside her head. No, that wasn't right. Well, maybe. The whole situation was baffling enough without a ghost voice whispering things to her.

She turned away from the little ball of sparkle to one of the short flights of stairs. There appeared to be some white hairs strewn about here and there. Hope wondered what creature it could belong to. If everything down here was to be as unusual as the flower she saw earlier, she was in for an... interesting expedition.

Bracing herself slightly, Hope carefully climbed the stairs to the top. There was a narrow opening in the middle of the wall with vines growing around it. A sign hung above the doorway with ancient writing, illegible, and two windows were placed neatly on either side. Oddly, there was a wall behind the glass, so one could not actually see anything through them but a few spiders spinning webs. Hope wondered for a moment how greenery could grow in a place like this, then shrugged to herself. Life always finds a way.

Walking through the doorway, the girl entered another purple room. There were six buttons placed neatly on the right side of the path, which curved to avoid it. A black and yellow switch sat on the far wall, directly across from the buttons. _I wonder if this is a puzzle...?_ Hope groaned inwardly. She didn't have _time_ for puzzles, not to mention she was no good at them. Their endless patterns had her brain tied in a knot much faster than it should, and she almost never actually finished them. She stalked past the buttons, hoping their importance was minimal. She tugged open the handle of the door and ventured forth.

The next room was long and narrow, continuing far to the right of the doorway. There was a sign next to the path, and the path veered to the right about five feet in front of Hope. She meandered down the trail and crossed two bridges over canals of some sort. Water flowed under them, though it looked to be no more than a few inches deep. There were three switches, two of which had many yellow, painted arrows pointing to them. At the end of the room, there appeared to be a metal grate with circular slots in it. Hope stared at it in slight wonderment. Did this have something to do with the puzzles?

A thin hallway lead to a small, sorta circular room. There was a dummy of some sort near the middle, and Hope approached it. She waved slightly and laughed at herself.

 _...It doesn't seem much for conversation._

Hope snickered. Whoever the voice was, they were pretty funny.

This room was actually rather empty, save for the oddly winding path and vines. As Hope trekked along the trail, an odd creature appeared from out of the blue.

 _Froggit attacks you!_

Hope jumped at the voice again and her surroundings turned black and white. Where was it coming from? The- Froggit, she thought- bounced almost rhythmically, as if to an unheard song. Trying to decide what to do, Hope looks around her. A little purpe heart floated in front of her, and she stared at it for a moment, pondering what it could be, or possibly represent. She notices something she didn't before. It was a little yellow bar labelled HP with the fraction 20/20 beside it. Somehow, she got the feeling it related to her health, like in a video game. Hit Points, she recalled. Near it was the label LV 1.

Four little, orange boxes appeared in a semicircle around her, reading FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, and MERCY with a corresponding symbol. Hope looked over them and decides to tap the ACT box. It lit up yellow for a second and the options check, compliment, and threat appeared. Compliment seemed like her best bet, so Hope decided to compliment the Friggit.

"Uh... I really like your... eyes." Hope stammered, hoping she didn't sound too stupid.

 _Froggit didn't understand what you said, but was flattered anyway._

Hope snorted. That description was rather... interesting. The Froggit blushed. Suddenly, little white flies launched themselves at Hope. They looked very odd, and when one touched her, a burning sensation exploded in her body. She gasped in pain and saw her HP drop to 16/20. She dodged the remaining flies before the same options appeared in front of her again. When Hope went to ACT again, its name was yellow. She cocked her head slightly. Yellow? What did that mean? She browsed through ITEM and found her pockets totally empty, which was oddly depressing, and then tapped MERCY. The two options spare and flee hovered before her, the spare option noticeably yellow. Hope tapped it.

 _YOU WON! You earned 0 EXP and 30 gold._

Color once again returned to the world and the Froggit hopped away, still blushing. Hope giggled. Despite having attacked her, the Froggit was still cute.

She continued down the room until she came to a hallway with a sign. "The western room is the eastern room's blueprint." it said. Hope's eyebrows furrowed. What was that supposed to mean?

Continuing ahead, Hope saw that the entire floor of the "eastern room" was covered in the same metal grates from earlier. The only difference was, this time, there were spikes jutting up through the holes. She gazed at this in dismay. What did she do now? She supposed she could always just swim through the surrounding water, but she could no longer see the bottom, and she wasn't the strongest swimmer.

She jogged back and read the sign again, figuring out what it meant. Travelling back down the path, Hope traced it forward and did her best to commit the odd line to memory. Then she walked back to the spikes and stepped onto the grate. To her delight, the spikes in that little area disappeared back into their slots, leaving her free to walk on it.

As it turned out, Hope didn't even need to know the exact twists of the path. The spikes on the correct trail slid down when she was within a pace or two, so her path was defined for her. She followed the trail to the other side and released a sigh of relief. That wasn't too hard.

Down the path she continued, managing a fairly brisk pace. There was a really long room, which she decided to sprint down just for fun, her long braid flying behind her. After that was another long room with many more decorations. Another Froggit was there, and it said hello. There was another odd sparkling thing in a pile of leaves. Hope touched it, wondering if the result would be the same.

 _Playfully crinkling through the grass reminds you of Frisk. You are filled with PERSEVERENCE._

Hope's HP level was returned to 20/20, and she stood, lost in thought. Perseverance? Why does the voice mention perseverance in particular? She _did_ feel the need to persevere and find Frisk, but why did the voice single out that one specific word?

Shrugging off her questions, Hope trekked on.

 _Whimsum meekly approaches!_

It's name was yellow the moment they met. Hope smiled and spared it, earning 0 EXP and 0 gold. She asked the shivering creature if it's seen another, littler girl recently, and it pointed a shaking finger to the next doorway. Nodding, she took off that way, hearing the sound of the Whimsum scrambling away behind her.

The next room had a collapsing floor, but Hope found out how to get around it pretty quickly. There was already one hole in the floor, and she wondered if Frisk was the one who made it. She then saw a room with the metal grates again, but all the spikes were down. She hurried across, not really wanting to test if they would stay that way. Past that was another collapsing floor room. It was harder, but not devastatingly so. There was a series of many holes already in the floor, outlining the path for the most part so Hope only fell once.

The following room's spikes were all down too, and there were three rocks sitting on top of buttons. As she passed, she could've sworn she heard one of the rocks say "Was that helpful?" She tripped into a line of Moldsmals and spared them all immediately. She asked them if they'd seen Frisk, and they tried their best to point her in the right direction, despite them not having any limbs. Hope thanked them graciously.

She walked into a room with another sparkly thing and a table with cheese on top of it. A tiny giggle escaped her when she heard the squeak of a mouse. Her hand reached out to touch the star.

 _Knowing your sister would be rooting for the mouse fills you with PERSEVERENCE._

Hope smiled to herself and tried to imagine Frisk's reaction to the mouse. She probably tried to coax the mouse out of the hole for a little while before something else grabbed her attention. She was, after all, very determined.

Venturing into yet another room, she saw a little pile of leaves in the center, where a narrow part connected two similarly-sized sections. She felt sad passing by for some reason, lonely. She pushed it down and persevered, knowing her sister might be out there alone. She made a quick pit stop by the spider bake sale and followed the path forward. A sign said "Did you miss it? Spider bake sale down and to the right. Come eat food made for spiders, by spiders, of spiders!" Hope reread that last part a few times, slightly miffed. Umm... of spiders? The pastry in her pocket didn't seem so appealing anymore.

The Froggits tried their best to be helpful, though it was a little difficult with the lack of understanding going on. Hope eventually got her point across and was on her way again. She had just shifted gear into her speed walk when something ahead made her freeze in her tracks. It was the flower. That little, aggravated plant was muttering to himself angrily, about two different humans and something about why he had to deal with more than one.

"Little... flower?" Hope called doubtfully, and his face whipped around to face her.

"What?! You again!" he blurted, looking both shocked and annoyed, "Why are you still here?"

"Well, I'm just following the path." She shrugged, "and it happened to lead me to you." He glared daggers at her, and she shrunk back.

"You think this is funny, don't you?" he spat, "You think it's fun to do this to me? 'Oh, sure, let's taunt the flower! It'll be funny, and he's so small, he won't be able to do anything about it!' " His expression turned to a sinister sort of rage. "Oh sure, mess with the FLOWER!" Dozens of tiny white pellets appeared in the air around him. Hope froze, not sure what to do. There were only so many hits she could take, and she _really_ didn't want to find out what happened if she ran out of HP. She raised her hands in a gesture of peace.

"H-Hey," Hope stuttered, "what's going on? I didn't do anything, d-did I?" Why was this flower so upset? All she did was catch its attention!

It's expression faltered, turning to confusion. "Y-You're not messing with me?" he stammered, shock lacing his voice. Hope hurriedly shook her head, panic crashing over her in waves. All the petals disappeared and the flower looked merely confused. "Then what... do you want?"

"I just want to get my little sister and get out of here." Hope blurted and immediately clapped my hand over her mouth. Wait. This flower... was he following... Frisk? She stared at it, her eyes wide saucers of panic. Its face contorted evilly.

"Oh?" its voice had lost all hints of innocence, becoming deeper and containing absolutely zero mercy. Its smile was sinister. "So the little brat is your sister, huh?" Hope edged backward one teeny step at a time, preparing to run. If this thing was anything like what she normally had to outrun...

The flower, no, _thing,_ laughed. A giant vine quickly grew from its roots and stretched toward the ceiling. Hope could feel her face pale and was glued to the spot, though her every muscle screamed ' _RUN!'_ It laughed again.

"Oh, you're _scared_ , aren't you?" he mocked, "You don't want the big bad flower to _hurt_ you. Or," he added, his sinister widening, "your _sister._ " Its cackle echoed off the walls, bouncing back at Hope from every side. She finally regained control of her muscles and bolted back the way she came, her long legs pumping as fast as they could.

 _Flowey attacks!_

"Don't run away." the distorted voice called, a huge vine slamming into the ground next to her, "I just want to _play._ " Another large vine shot at Hope, and she narrowly dodged to the side. _Faster, faster, FASTER!_ Her mind screamed at her, and she sprinted on. She felt a vine racing toward her and she twisted to the side. The vine wrapped around her ankle and she slammed into the ground, her entire body aching from the impact.

No, _no, NO!_ Hope fought to regain her footing, and the vine started to drag her backwards. Her fingers clawed a the ground desperately, trying to cling to something, anything. She stops directly in front of the flower, which stares down at her menacingly. Desperately, she kicks at the vine as hard as she can. They wouldn't give.

"Pease," she sobs, "let me go! What did I do wrong, just let me go!" In any other situation, she would have been ashamed to be crying so hard, being a thirteen-year-old, but this was so utterly terrifying that she didn't care. It cackled one last time.

"I _would_ tell you, but where you're going, I don't think that information will help you any." His eyes turned a sinister red as about ten vines shot out of the ground. " _Die."_ he growled, and Hope screamed in terror before the vines impacted and everything went black.

* * *

(A/N Hey everyone! I know, it's too soon for cliff hangers, but I just had to. I swear it's important! Also, I decided to change Hope's dominant trait to perseverance instead o determination, if you haven't already noticed, so I'll br going back and fixing that ASAP. I mainly did that to set Frisk and Hope apart, but also for other reasons... which I'll explain later! Anyway, there will be daily updates for now, due to it being summer break and all, but that my change in the future. Best wishes to you all!)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Frisk froze in her tracks when she heard a booming, sinister laugh. A blood curdling scream ripped through the air, followed by silence. She turned and ran toward the noise, realizing someone needed her help.

She runs into the previous room and attempts to sprint straight to the end. Determination coursed through her.

 _Loox drew near!_

Frisk stopped right before she skidded into the monster. Everything around her turned black and white, and her eyebrows furrowed.

Quickly considering her ACT options, Frisk decided not to pick on him. "Finally, someone gets it!" the Loox exclaimed, seeming happy. Frisk readied herself nervously for his incoming attack. She inhaled deeply through her nose, then out through her mouth, a little trick Hope had taught her to keep calm and maintain focus. She swerved around the weird, hollow circles he threw at her and seemed to be doing well when one clipped her shoulder and she cried out. The searing pain took over her body and her soul pulsed bright red. Her vision faded.

 _Chara! Stay determined!_ A deep, soothing voice whispered, and Frisk was suddenly in a black void. The only thing she could see was a tiny, bright light. It was like a save point, but much brighter She had to shield her eyes to be able to see anything. The light then expanded until it was all she could see

Frisk felt her senses returning, and she heard the tiny squeak of a mouse. The child gasped and sat bolt upright, whipping her head around frantically. She was back in the room with the mouse and the cheese, with her last save point. Placing a hand over her bombarding heart, the child tried to calm down. Was that what happened when people died? She shrugged. Probably. _Knowing the mouse might one day leave its hole and get the cheese... it fills you with_ DETERMINATION

The little black box with all Frisk's data appeared, and she saved her file. She turns back to the path ahead of her and shrugged. More puzzles for her!.

* * *

Everything was silent and dark. Hope tried to rub her eyes, thinking maybe she hadn't opened them yet, but she couldn't feel her arms. Strange... she couldn't feel _anything._ She looked all around her, seeing nothing but blackness. She felt like she should be scared, panicking maybe, but instead she felt serene. It was actually kinds nice, simply existing, floating in the blackness. A sort of peace sunk in, and Hope smiled to herself. Or... smiled inside her mind, anyway. She drifted and sighed silently. She could get used to this.

Suddenly, a little light appeared. Hope stared at it, startled. Was that... the doorway to heaven? It seemed too small, but she couldn't quite be sure. She heard a whispered voice, kind and deep.

 _Chara! Stay determine_ _d!_

Chara? Who's Chara?

 _Chara... I remember that name..._

Wait, the voice again? Then Hope saw her little sister, Frisk, standing next to the light. Her nonexistent eyes widened and she tried to call out to her, but couldn't. She supposed that was one of the downsides to not having a body. Frisk shielded her eyes from the light before it expanded, swallowing her whole. Hope tried to scream but made no sound. In a moment, the light enveloped her in its whiteness.

She felt an odd falling sensation and was suddenly sitting on solid ground again. She gasped for breath and looked downwards. Her hands shook, and she clamped her arms around herself. What was that? Hope could swear she had died, and the last thing she saw a giant vine, but here she was. Wait... where was she?

Looking around, Hope saw the first collapsing floor puzzle in front of her. She stared, confused, for a moment. This wasn't where she was before. Somehow, she'd backtracked. Pushing herself onto her feet, she wobbled slightly. Her legs tingled like they had fallen asleep, as she stomped a few times to wake them up again. Giving herself one final shake, Hope tromped down the same path, not bothering to talk to anyone this time.

A little while later, Hope was in the room where she had seen the flower again. She froze. Ahead of her, on the path, was the flower, mumbling to himself.

Stay still, don't move, sty silent, don't let him know you're here.

Much to her luck, the flower didn't notice her, and he disappeared into the ground, muttering to herself. Hope sighed in relief. A repeat of last time would not have been appreciated, so this was a nice change. She forged ahead, thinking. Everything had been exactly the same as last time, aside from the lack of terrifying flower. Enemies were in the same places, all the puzzles were still solved (aside from the first spike puzzle), and everyone acted the exact same way. Why was that? People didn't say the same thing every time they saw you. Were monsters different in this way?

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity of pointless puzzles, Hope came upon a house. There was a leafless tree in front, and another of those little sparkling balls.

 _Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins reminds you of your sister's love of small places. You are filled with PERSEVERENCE._

Hope smiled to herself. Whoever that voice belonged to, they certainly did seem to know her sister and herself well. Hope was just wondering what Frisk thought of the little place. She strode over to the door and took the knob in her hand. The frown dissolved from her face as she tried to twist the knob.

It didn't give.

She twisted it again, this time with greater strength. Still, it refused to move. Rattling it desperately, Hope tried to figure out how else she could get in. Checking the windows, she almost swore out loud. Behind them was brick, like the first ones she saw. Her fist slammed against the pane in frustration. Every monster she'd encountered told her this was where Frisk went, so it was useless to backtrack and try to find her somewhere.

Pacing back to the door, she tried the knob. It was pointless, she knew, but she had to try. Then she rapped on the door with her knuckles, hoping someone on the other side might answer. Worry rose up inside her like toxic gas, and this time, she didn't try to shove back where it came. She knew it was for good reason.

When nobody answered, Hope rapped on the door again, faster and more agitated this time. It took every ounce of willpower she had to keep her knees from shaking. She swallows and calls out.

"Hello? Is anybody in there?" Hope calls through the door, wondering if it's soundproofed, "Frisk? Are you there?" Worry swirls around her like a mist, clouding her brain. "Frisk? Frisk, it's me, Hope. Please open the door." Hope begs. Only silence greets her.

Hope chokes back a sob. God, did something happen to Frisk? Is she okay? "Frisk!" desperation fills her voice, and she tries her best to keep the quaver out of it, "Frisk, please let me in!" The tears come forth, and Hope slumps against the door. Her body is wracked with sobs as water droplets race down her cheeks. "Frisk, please!"

Her body slides to the ground, and she pounds on the door. "Frisk! Frisk, where are you?" borderline hysteria envelops her voice. Thinking she hears something, she presses her ear to the door. She listens, holding her breath. A faint cry of pain sounds from somewhere in the house. Maybe a basement?

"Frisk!" Hope pounds on the door, fear spiking through her, "FRISK!" She hears another cry of pain and the faint voice of a woman. Then everything swirls into blackness.

Hope looks around her, part of her in awe, the other part in horror. She was in the strange dark void again. This time, however, she could feel her body, and she relaxed just a little. The light appeared in front of her again, and she saw Frisk. Her sister looked drained, physically and mentally, and she stared diretly into the light this time. The same voice was there again.

 _You can't give up just yet!_

"Frisk!" Hope called out, and the small child turned in her direction. Seeing her, Frisk's eyes widened and she tried to run to her. Hope did the same, her feet pounding against an unseen floor. Then the light expanded, and Frisk turned toward it. Hope leapt at her, not wanting to be separated again.

"FRISK!" she shrieked, and the light swallowed them both.

She woke up, panting, just a few rooms back from the little house. Trying to process what had just happened to her, she tried to lay out all the available information.

She and Frisk were both sucked back into the void, and the voice was still there. Before everything went black, Hope had heard a scream, most likely Frisk's. There had been another voice too, a woman.

Hope gasped. Did that woman, whoever she was, do something to Frisk to make this happen? What if she... Hope paled.

Did Frisk die?

The teen sat there for a moment, processing this new information. The first time she entered the void, it was because her HP bar had drained completely. She had no body. She was nothing. Then Frisk entered the void, along with the strange voice and the light, and she had ended up back in the Ruins. Back where she'd already been. And she was alive again.

But this time, she was still alive when it happened. She didn't die.

But maybe Frisk did.

She thought for a moment, trying to come up with an explanation for this strange occurrence. Coming up empty-handed, Hope sighed. She'd figure it out sooner or later.

After hoisting herself to her feet again, Hope trudged into the next room. Her mind wasn't on her destination, and she accidentally bumped into a Froggit and a Loox, leaving her with only 5/20 HP.

Taking a shuddering breath, she entered the room with the little house. Hope ran up to the little spark and touched it.

 _Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins reminds you of your sister's love of small places. You are filled with PERSEVERENCE._

This time, she ignores, but relished the feeling of her HP returning to 20/20. It was a similar feeling to when you walked inside after playing in the snow for a few hours. It was all warm and tingly, really just relaxing.

Hope suddenly remembered the door, and Frisk, and what had happened earlier. She sprinted to the door and pounded as hard as she possibly could, rattling the door in its frame.

"Frisk! Frisk! Let me in!" she shouted, praying to God the woman didn't do anything to her. She could hardly bare the thought of her helpless little sister facing anyone threatening. An image of the flower looming above Frisk popped into her head and she pounded harder. A faint cry rang out on the other side.

"Frisk! FRISK! Let me in, please let me in!" she screamed, pounding the door even harder somehow. It rattled dangerously but wouldn't give, only making Hope's panic level spike. "FRISK!"

Suddenly, everything on the other side went silent, and Hope pressed her ear to the door. There was nothing.

No no no. Nononono. NononoNO! Frisk!

"Frisk!" she screamed, "Frisk!" Please please _please_ God, don't let that innocent child who would never do anything wrong die! Tears once again streamed down her face as the worst seemed more and more likely.

She screamed and cried until her voice was barely a whisper and no more tears would come. Eventually, she passed out, still leaning against the door.

* * *

(A/N Wow, okay, that last part was kinda intense. I'm not sure if you can tell by now or not, but I find intense scenes pretty fun to write. And yes, to those of you cursing my name right now, I also like cliffhangers.

I know before I didn't really have an update schedule, but now I have a tentative daily update. Don't be too surprised if I don't _always_ update daily, because I'm not very good at keeping to schedules.

Also, before I forget, I got my very first story follow, story favorite, author follow, and author favorite today. This is a HUGE milestone for me, and I really appreciate your guys' support. Thank you lozzadozza89 and kat151820 for lacing that milestone for me!)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _"Hope_ _?" Frisk asks, rubbing her eyes. She was probably sleeping before I came in. I suddenly felt bad._

 _"Oh, uh..." I trailed off, not knowing how to break the news to her. How was anyone supposed to do this? I sighed. "Well, remember how you're a foster child?" She nodded, looking unsure of where I was going with this, "Well, Mom and Dad have been thinking for a while, and they decided..." I stopped. Tears began to well in my eyes, and I shifted my gaze to Frisk. She looked confused._

 _"What?" she asked, not understanding. I stared down at her innocent, confused face and felt tears and a single tear dripped down my cheek. I pulled her into a tight embrace and she looked up at me. "What?" She asked again, more forcefully this time. I gazed into her doe-brown eyes and sobbed, looking away. I couldn't tell her, I couldn't... I inhaled deeply through my nose and exhaled through my mouth, a trick my Dad taught me. Then I looked back at her questioning gaze._

 _"Hey, how about we play a game?" I whispered and put on a shaky smile. Her eyes lot up, making me smile a little wider._

 _"Game?" she asked, her voice an eager whisper._

 _"Yeah. It starts tomorrow, okay? I'll tell you more then." Frisk nodded excitedly, a smile forming. Her eyes were wide. My voice turned more serious._

 _"But you have to promise, no matter what we do, you can't tell Mom and Dad." She nodded again, still eager. I laughed softly. "Okay, good. I'll tell you more tomorrow, okay? Now get some sleep." She nodded, giggling when I ruffled her hair. I laughed quietly, then hugged her tight. What was I thinking, this was crazy, I couldn't do this, why did I even consider it?_

 _I looked down at her. Her eyes were closed, a slight smile still on her face. No, I had to do this. There was no other way. I couldn't let them take her._

 _"I love you, Frisk." I murmured, gently lifting her small form and setting her on our bed._

 _"Love you." she responded sleepily. She shifted slightly and relaxed, sleep setting in._

 _"No one will ever take you from me." I whispered, trying not to worry about the dangers ahead, "I promise."_

Hope awoke with a skull-splitting headache. She moaned. What happened? She cradled her head in her arms, keeping her eyes closed. Feeling the softness of a pillow underneath her head, she burrowed deeper, letting the comfort set in. Maybe the headache will go away if she just stayed here...

Wait.

Where was she? And why was she tucked into a bed? Hadn't she been in front of the door earlier. Wait... was she inside the house?

Her eyes snapped open as she shot upright. The room she was in was small and dark, and everything had an odd maroon-red tint. She was currently sitting in a twin bed, with a large rug splayed out on the floor in front of her. A wonderful scent hung in the room, like cinnamon and butterscotch. Those were Frisk's favorites.

 _Mmm, cinnamon and butterscotch. I love that stuff so much. Stupid allergies, restricting me so much..._

She froze. That voice wasn't her own, and neither was that thought. It was that same voice again, the one that kept popping into her head. Could it be... a person? A spirit, maybe?

Hope gave her head a hard shake to clear it, immediately regretting it. Pain spiked through her head. Everything seemed to swirl for a moment before coming back into focus.

No. There was no spiritual being living in her mind.

Tentatively, she swung her feet so they are on the floor and stands up. A sudden dizziness is triggered, causing her to sway for a moment before steadying herself. She takes a deep breath and walks to the door. Reaching out a hesitant hand, she turns the knob. It turns, to her relief, and the door swings open.

The hallway has a cozy feel to it, like the room behind her. There are a few different varieties of houseplants, two more doors, and a long mirror. Hope walks up to the mirror and examines herself. Jeez, she looks a wreck. Though she had just been sleeping for a while (Hope _guessed_ at maybe two hours, probably less), there were dark circles under her normally bright emerald eyes. Her long, chestnut hair was still in its braid, but there were hairs sticking out every which way, including in her face. The green T-shirt and jeans she wore had many wrinkles in them that would take ages to iron out. With quick and practiced movements, Hope undid and remade her braid. She nodded in satisfaction and walked back down the hallway.

She entered an entryway area with a set of stairs leading to a basement. Meandering over, she peered down. She couldn't really see anything from here, and was about to head down when a voice stopped her.

"My child? Is that you?" the voice called out, soft and friendly, like a mother. Well, like a mother _should_ be, anyway. Her mother had been far from kind and friendly.

 _Is that Toriel?_ the voice questioned, shocked.

Hope ignored the voice. "Are you alright?" the friendly voice asked, entering the room. Hope gazed up at her, in awe of her tall she was. The woman- or goat-woman hybrid, it seemed- was at least 6'3" and was covered in white fur. Her plum dress had a little emblem on it. She smiled invitingly.

"Hello my child. My name is Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins." Toriel smiled down at Hope, her eyes warm and soft. Hope stiffened. The voice in her head was right. "When I found you outside my door, I was very surprised. I had just seen another human, and humans don't usually come down here at all, so two in one day was very unusual." Hope perked up instantly. Another human? That must've been Frisk! If she was indeed in the same house, then that would make sense.

 _Well, you do have to battle Toriel before you leave this place. Frisk was probably in the middle of that battle when you heard her._ Hope took this into consideration. If the voice was right before, it might be right again.

"Another human? You mean Frisk?" she blurted, and the goat woman looked startled for a moment.

"Why, yes. Her name is Frisk. Do you know her?" Toriel replied, staring at Hope curiously. Hope ignored the question.

"Is she okay? Is she hurt? Which way did she go? Is she still here?" Hope fired at a now stunned looking Toriel. A spike of pain went through her head, and she stumbled backwards.

 _Behind you-!_

Toriel snatched her away from the stairs just before she tumbled down them.

"My child! You have to be more careful!" Toriel scolded gently, clutching the shaking girl, "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm okay." Hope replied, trying to steady herself, "I've just been so worried about Frisk, I-I..." Toriel nodded slowly.

"I understand the feeling." Toriel sighed, then smiled at Hope, "Is she a friend?"

"She's my sister, actually. Well, kind of." Hope answered, "She's a foster child, and my family has been fostering her."

"Ah. I see." Toriel smiled again, "That is very kind of you, to take in a child like that." Hope looked up at the goat woman, and she had the strangest urge to call her Mom.

"Yeah, well, they made a few decisions I didn't quite agree with." she muttered, looking away. She laughed humorlessly. "That's why we're here." Her voice shook, hardly a whisper now. "They were going to give her back."

Toriel looked appalled and stared at the shaking child in her arms. "They were going to give her back? After she became part of your family?" Hope nodded solemnly. Toriel's face darkened.

 _Wait, what? That's awful!_

Hope sighed. However much she wanted to stay here, with this woman, she needed to go find her sister. Taking a shaky breath, she pulled away from Toriel's protective embrace.

"Thank you," she smiled at the woman, "for everything. But I... I really need to find my little sister. She's alone out there, and who knows what's out there with her." There was pain in Toriel's gaze, and Hope started to wonder what was on her mind, "I can't afford to waste time. I've already wasted enough." Her breath shuddered. She really didn't want to leave Toriel, but she knew the sooner she was on her way, the better.

"Can't you at least stay for a slice of pie?" Toriel questioned, almost pleaded, "I still have plenty left." Considering for a moment, Hope laughed.

"Okay, one." she smiled. If she had one weakness, it was desserts.

 _Same._

Hope felt her expression, and Toriel stared at her curiously. 'Would you quit saying things to me? It's very distracting!' she growled in her thoughts.

 _Sorry._ the voice replied, and Hope could almost see a shadowy figure shrinking back.

Toriel took her hand and led her to a cozy living room. There was a large plush chair that seemed about the right size for the goat woman, as well as a table with three chairs. Hope took a seat in one of them while Toriel disappeared into the kitchen, coming back a minute later with a slice of pie.

The girl ate ravenously, not even realizing how hungry she was. When she spotted Toriel staring at her, slowed a bit, embarressed. The woman laughed.

"You seem hungry!" she commented, smiling, "Though that would make sense, seeing how long you were asleep." Hope almost choked on her pie. Seeing how long she was asleep? How long had she been out?

"Toriel," she began, more hesitantly than she meant to, "how long was I asleep?"

Toriel thought for a moment. "About five hours, I think." she replied, and Hope felt herself pale. Five hours?! She thought it was only one or two!

Abruptly, Hope pushed her chair away from the table and stood. Toriel looked surprised. "I need to leave." she stated shortly, turning and starting off at a brisk pace.

"Wait!" Toriel called after her, "Where are you going?" She stopped. Where was she going?

"Uh... where did Frisk go?" she asked sheepishly, turning to Toriel.

"The Ruins door is in the basement. Your sister exited through there" Toriel replied, then quickly added, "Why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

"I was asleep too long. I must leave now." Hope answered shortly, already heading down the stairs. Toriel followed close behind.

"You don't need to leave yet. I could get you some more food, maybe something to drink. You'll want proper clothing for your journey, too." Toriel insisted from behind, but Hope kept up the brisk pace.

"I can't waste any more time."

"Preparing for the journey ahead is not wasting time!"

"I don't care, I'll find a way." Toriel continued to protest as Hope approached a large door. _This must be it,_ she thought. _The Ruins door._

More quickly than she thought possible, the goat woman stepped in front of Hope and blocked her path. "You. Will. Not. Pass!" Toriel growled, and Hope took a step backwards, bewildered.

"T-Toriel?" she stammered, suddenly very afraid of the woman. She loomed menacingly ahead, a frighteningly fierce expression darkening the otherwise friendly goat woman's face. Fireballs formed in her paws, Hope clutched her hands to her chest. Is this what had happened to Frisk to make her cry out? "Toriel, wh-what are you doing?"

Toriel snarled at Hope before she seemed to notice how frightened the girl was. The fireballs vanished, and her face settled into a sad expression.

I am sorry, my child." Toriel apologized, her eyes closed, "I cannot allow you to pass. It is too dangerous." Hope stared.

"B-But what about Frisk? She's my sister, I need to find her." Hope protested, hoping the woman would see reason.

"It is too dangerous." she repeated, "I cannot allow it." She looked up, her eyes full of pain. "Asgore, the King of Monsters, will kill you if you continue." Hope continued to stare, startled.

"But, Frisk..."

"She gave me no choice. I had to let her go." Toriel shook her head, "But if I can't save her, or anyone else, I will save you." Tears welled in Hopes eyes as she realized what this meant. If this goat woman never let her through, she would never see her sister again. Frisk would be all alone in the world. No parents, no real friends, no sister. She couldn't bear to think of that. The presence in her mind sobbed once before silencing themself.

Hope held back sobs, and tear after tear trailed down her cheek. "P-Please..." she pleaded, "She needs me, a-and I need her..." She collapsed on the ground in a sobbing heap, overcome by her tears. She couldn't live with herself if Frisk lost the only family she had. "Please..." There was the sound of a sniffle inside her head.

 _Toriel, I'm so sorry. I missed you, and you..._ the voice stopped, choking on their words.

Everything faded, and Hope was vaguely aware of a monster lady kneeled beside her. Soft, strong arms curled around her feeble body, and she cried into them. She couldn't stay...

After a little while, probably about twenty minutes by Hope's estimate, she finally came to her senses. She stared up at Toriel, who still had her in a tight embrace.

"Toriel..." Toriel gazed at her, tears beginning to well in her own eyes.

"Don't."

"Please, Toriel."

"No, stop." The goat woman looked away, not able to bear it.

"Toriel." Hope's voice was surprisingly firm, and Toriel looked back at her.

"I just want to protect you." her voice was soft, hardly more than a whisper, and full of love. Hope smiled sadly.

"I know," the girl replied, a certain gentleness in her voice she quite couldn't place, "but you know I can't stay." Toriel's gaze saddened, and Hope knew she understood. Toriel sniffed, then stood up. The woman offered her hand, and Hope took it. She was pulled into a standing position. Toriel took a shuddering breath.

"What is your name, child?" Hope smiled.

"Hope."

"Hope." Toriel echoed, letting it sink in for a moment, "I will miss you very much, Hope." she smiled, absently tucking a stray hair behind the child's ear. Hope's smile saddened, and the voice sobbed again.

"I'll miss you too," her voice trailed off for a moment, thinking, before adding "Mom." Surprise flashed across Toriel's face for a moment before she smiled too.

Hope broke away from Toriel's embrace and slowly walked over to the door. She took a deep breath and glanced back.

"Goodbye, my child." Toriel swiped away a tear and smiled.

"Goodbye, Mom." she replied and quietly stepped out the door. It gently closed behind her, and Hope felt a tear trail down her own cheek.

 _Goodbye Mom,_ the voice echoed.

* * *

(A/N Hello again, whoever is reading this right now! I had a lot of fun doing this one, but it's taking some serious restraint to not just jump ahead to where she meets Sans. Oh well. Even as I'm going right now, I get the feeling I'm not quite pacing it right at this point in time, so it's best I don't. Hopefully I can get it down later.

Anyway, I just want to say thanks again for your guys' support of this story. Since this is my first, it really means a lot to me that people are actually reading it, and following it is just amazing. The next chapter should be up by tomorrow, FYI, though I may stop posting daily pretty soon. It's actually a bit draining. Anyway, happy reading and writing to you all!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Frisk walked away from Sans and Papyrus' house, smiling to herself. That date with Papyrus had been really fun, though she'd never been on a date. If all dates were like that, she wanted to go ont them more often! She made her way through the oddly foggy area and into the caverns of Waterfall.

"Yo!" Monster Kid shouted to Frisk as she approached, "Are you sneaking out to see her, too?" Frisk stifled a giggle. That wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Monster Kid seemed to take her laughter as a yes. "Awesome... she's the coolest, right?! I wanna be just like her when I grow up!" He thought for a second, then leaned in a little closer, "Hey, don't tell my parents I'm here. Ha ha." the orange, armless monster chuckled nervously. Frisk nodded, then saved.

 _The sound of rushing water fills you with DETERMINATION. File saved._

She looks away, noticing Sans at a sentry station and quickly padding over.

"what? haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before?" Sans explained for no real reason, then continued, "fortunately, two jobs means twice as many legally required breaks." Frisk giggled. Sans definitely lived up to his lazy title.

"welp, i'm going to grillby's. wanna come?" Sans offered, and Frisk eagerly nodded her head. She's been into Grillby's before, by for some reason, she wasn't able to buy anything. There had been a heavenly scent of greasy food in the air, and she was really looking forward to trying some.

"well, if you insist, i'll pry myself away from my work." Sans shrugged, winking, and Frisk giggled again. "over here. I know a shortcut." Sans motioned, walking away from Snowdin. Frisk followed obediently. Suddenly, she was enveloped in a weird tube of blue light and a whooshing sound. Frisk tried to breathe, but her lungs felt like they had steel wrapped around them. Then, as quickly as it had started, everything was back to normal. She shook her head to clear it, then realized that she was inside Grillby's. She cast Sans an amazed look. He chuckled.

"fast shortcut, huh?" he shrugged, then addressed everyone in the bar, "hey, everyone."

"Hey Sans!" Dogamy yipped.

"Hi Sans!" Dogressa barked.

"Greetings Sans!" a brown monster with a huge mouth full of jagged teeth addressed.

"Hiya Sansy~" the weird rabbit head creature with crazy eyes greeted, a flirty tone in their voice.

"Hey Sans," the overweight fish monster (the one who literally put out a line) began, "weren't you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?"

"nah, i haven't had breakfast in at least half an hour." Sans replied, "you must be thinking of brunch." He shrugged and everyone in the bar laughed. Then he turned to Frisk and offered her a barstool. "here, get comfy." She sat down, and a long, drawn out farting noise emitted from underneath her.

"whoops, watch where you sit down. sometimes weirdoes put whoopee cushions on the seats." Sans shrugged, and Frisk giggled. "anyway," he continued, "let's order."

Both Frisk and Sans ordered burgers, and they waited in awkward silence. Sans rubbed the back of his skull.

"so, what do you think of my brother?" Sans asked, and Frisk smiled. She was great friends with him (but not madly in love like he claimed).

"Cool!" she exclaimed, and Sans grinned. Well, more than he already was before.

"of course he's cool." Sans replied, his voice certain, "you'd be cool too if you wore that outfit every day." Frisk stifled a laugh, trying her very best to keep a straight face. He wore that outfit every day?! Sans continued.

"he'd only take that thing off if he absolutely had to." Frisk slumped over slightly in her seat, giggling softly. "oh well. at least he washes it. and by that i mean he wears it in the shower." Not able to take it anymore, Frisk burst out laughing, hunched over in her seat. She looked up at Sans, tears in her eyes, and he stared at her like she was the weirdest thing he's ever seen. That only made her laugh harder.

She finally composed herself as Grillby walked back into the main bar area with two plates, a burger on each.

"here comes the grub. want some ketchup?" Sans questioned, and Frisk nodded. "bone appetite." He winked and handed Frisk the ketchup. She took is eagerly, squeezing it hard over her burger.

 _You tip the ketchup... the cap falls off and all the ketchup in the bottle pours onto your food._

Frisk gazed in dismay at their now ketchup-drenched burger.

"whoops." Sans comments. He looks down at her food and shrugs. "eh, fugeddaboutit. you can have mine. i'm not hungry anyway." he slid his plate towards Frisk, and she accepted it gratefully.

"anyway, cool or not, you have to agree papyrus tries real hard," Sans said earnestly, "like how he keeps trying to be part of the royal guard. one day, he went to the house of the head of the royal guard, and begged her to let him be in it." he shrugged, then added "of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight. but the next day, she woke up and saw him still waiting there. seeing his dedication, she decided to give him warrior training. it's, uh, still a work in progress." Frisk smiled. Papyrus was awesome.

Sans and Frisk sat in silence for a minute, both lost in their own thoughts.

"oh yeah, i wanted to ask you something." Sans broke the silence, and Frisk glanced up at him. His smile remained, but his eyes were more serious than before. The rest of the room darkened, leaving a spotlight on Sans and Frisk. The bar silenced, like time itself had frozen still and left only Frisk and Sans untouched. "have you ever heard of a taking flower?"

Frisk furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Did he mean Flowey? That flower looked friendly, but... he wasn't. Anything so mean was definitely not good. She nodded slowly, waiting for Sans to elaborate.

"so you know all about it." he sighed, looking over at Frisk. "the echo flower." Frisk felt even more confused, but also a bit relieved. Maybe he wasn't talking about Flowey.

"they're all over the marsh. say something to them, and they'll repeat it, over and over..." he continued, looking ahead, "what about it? well, papyrus told me something interesting the other day." Frisk stared, beginning to fidget with her hands. Papyrus?

"sometimes, when no one else is around..." he paused, and Frisk waited, "a flower appears and whispers things to him. flattery... advice... encouragement..." He closed his eyes, "...predictions." Worry churned inside Frisk. Did echo flowers... normally do that?

"weird, huh?" Sans asked, his eyes opening again. His white pupils flicked to Frisk. "someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. keep an eye out, ok?" Frisk nodded. Sans' permanent smile widened about half a centimeter. "thanks." Suddenly, the darkness faded and the chatter of the bar resumed again. Frisk wanted to ask him what had just happened, but was interrupted before she could.

"welp," Sans hopped off his barstool, all hints of prior seriousness gone from his face, "that was a long break. i can't believe i let you pull me away from work for that long." Frisk giggled. "oh, by the way.. i'm flat broke. can you foot the bill? It's just 10000 G." Frisk opened her mouth to protest when Sans laughed. "just kidding." She giggled again. Sans was such a joker. "grillby, put it on my tab."

He meandered over to the door, then turned back to Frisk. "by the way..." he paused for a moment, "... i was going to say something, but i forgot." Then he turned and wandered out of the bar. Frisk waited for a moment, taking in everything she had just experienced, and shrugged. Eh. It was probably nothing anyway. She smiled to herself

Now for the journey ahead.

* * *

Sans had just taken a short cut back to his sentry station in Waterfall when he got a call from Alphys.

"hey alph. what's up?" he greeted the scientist.

"S-Sans? Oh, h-hi. Um, c-can you go somewhere p-private? This i-is, uh, kinda important." Alphys stuttered, and Sans' smile turned serious. He flicked his hand, and everything froze.

"ok alph. i'm ready to listen." Sans spoke into the phone, and there was a brief pause.

"Um, w-well..." She started, "I-I think there's a-another h-human in the U-Underground." Sans felt his eye sockets darken. Another human? Already?

"where are they?" he questioned. If there was another human, he'd need to find them. This couldn't be a coincidence.

"They're i-in S-Snowdin Forest r-right now. They j-just walked by my first c-camera." Sans nodded, then remembered he was on the phone.

"ok." he replied, "i'm heading there now."

"W-Wait, S-Sans, they're older t-than the other o-one." Alphys stopped him in his tracks.

"by how much?" If they were an adult, there could be big trouble. He'd have to be prepared to fight.

"I d-don't really know. T-They look like they're a young teenager. Probably t-thirteen or fourteen?" Alphys stammered, seeming to be getting more nervous, "They d-don't look like they'll be a-any trouble, but I c-can't see their stats, s-so I don't r-really know..."

"mm'k. thanks alph. i'll be heading over there now."

"O-Okay Sans. Be c-careful! I d-don't know wht t-they're capable o-of..."

"don't worry, alph. i think it'll be fine. i can feel it in my **bones**." He heard a faint groan on the other end of the line and his smile widened. Then he hung up and teleported, unsure of what he would find.

* * *

Hope shivered as a wave of cold passed over her. The path ahead was covered in snow, and the air was frigid.

"I didn't know the Ruins let out into a _snow covered forest!_ " she mumbled, looking around. There were trees lining both sides of the trail, leaving very little space in between. There was a single bush to her left.

 _You should check it out._ the voice urged.

"Why should I listen to you?" she muttered out loud, and she sensed the voice roll its eyes.

 _Just do it._ She examined the bush a little closer. Something about it was admittedly weird.

 _...?! There's a camera hidden in the bushes._ the voice shouted, and Hope clutched her head.

'You know you're inside me, right? I can hear you just fine.'

 _Sorry. Special effects._ Hope rolled her eyes, then paused.

'Why is the camera there?' she questioned, thinking maybe the presence would know.

 _Hell if I know._ the voice replied.

Hope decided to brush it off. It probably wasn't important. What was important was finding her sister and getting out of this weird, cavernous place.

She forged ahead, trying to ignore the bitter cold. It was biting into her exposed fingers and arms, making her shiver again. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

 _You came pretty unprepared, huh?_

'Shut up.'

There was an odd set of bars in front of her now, and she peered at them with curiosity. They were much too wide to prevent anyone from passing through, and Hope was able to get through without a second thought. On the other side was a small clearing with an oddly shaped lamp and a small enclosure. She approached the tiny building.

 _It seems to be some sort of checkpoint or sentry station, but there are bottles of ketchup, mustard, and relish sitting inside._

Hope smiled to herself. 'Let me guess, whoever owns this place likes to snack?' The voice snickered. There was a sudden, weird whooshing sound from behind her, and she whirled around, her braid whipping her in the face.

A skeleton stood, hands in his pockets.

He appeared to be about six inches shorter than the girl, and wore a blue sweatshirt and black shorts. There were pink slippers on his feet and a perpetual grin on his face. His eye sockets had tiny white circles for pupils, which were locked on Hope. Despite his laid-back appearance, his presence gave Hope chills. His eyes had a deadly seriousness about them.

'Should I worry about him?' Hope asked the voice in her head, and they didn't reply. She huffed in frustration. _Now_ they stay silent?

"hey there, buddy." the skeleton greeted, and Hope stared warily. The skeleton noticed her frustration, his smile lessening slightly. "what's that face for?"

"Uh, sorry." Hope mumbled, looking down, "You just appeared out of nowhere, and I wasn't expecting that." She glanced up, and the skeleton's eye sockets narrowed microscopically.

"nah, it's ok." he replied, shrugging, "guess that makes sense. name's sans." Hope's shoulders relaxed, but the presence still seemed tense.

"I'm Hope." she nodded, then looked down. Sans nodded as well, his gaze searching. Hope looked around, then back at the skeleton. "How did you get here so fast?"

He shrugged. "i have my ways." He said it nonchalantly, but Hope knew better. He wouldn't tell her even if she asked. She shrugged it off.

"y'know, humans don't come down here all that often." Sans started.

 _No dip._

"So I've been told." Hope quirked an eyebrow.

"heh, yeah." He looked down and scratched his head before looking up again. "there was another human here earlier. they were a bit smaller than you, but definitely still human."

"You mean Frisk?" Hope's interest peaked, hoping this skeleton could help her.

"so you know 'em." his eye sockets narrowed for a second before relaxing again. Hope could feel his suspicions, deep and accusing. A shiver went up her spine again, this time from cold, and she did her best to suppress it. Her arms tightened around her middle.

 _Dude, chill. He won't hurt you if you don't act suspicious._ the voice tried to coax, only really making Hope more nervous. He'd hurt her if she acted suspicious?! Well, that meant she was probably already on the kill list.

Hope stared at Sans, her gaze once again weary. He didn't seem like the type to just randomly attack her, but Hope was never very good at reading people.

Sans stared at her for a moment longer before the pupils disappeared from his eye sockets. Hope jumped backwards. She was _not_ expecting that.

 _Woah, that's cool._ the presence perked up, seeming interested, _If only I had my notebook_ , _I could probably look up what that means. Having my glasses back would help too..._

Hope's numbing toes hit the ground a tad too hard and she winced. Maybe she should've taken Toriel's offer for better gear for traveling...

 _Duh._

'You're not helping.'

Sans' pupils flickered back into view, and he seemed more relaxed now.

"Was that... something I need to be worried about?" Hope questioned, and Sans looked confused for a moment.

"no, not really." he replied, his smile still firm in place. Hope couldn't suppress the shiver this time, and it shook her body like a leaf. She felt so frail, in the cold like this, and started to wonder if this could concern her health. The skeleton noticed and cocked his head. "you okay there?"

"I'm fine." Hope replied stubbornly, clenching her teeth together to keep them from chattering.

 _What? Don't be an idiot! He can help you!_ the voice lectured.

'I don't trust him.' she replied, and the voice huffed.

 _Fine, don't trust me!_ the voice threw up its imaginary hands in disgust, _It's not like I'm trying to keep you alive or anything..._ Hope spotted Sans staring at her and straightened her expression. He narrowed his eyes, then shrugged.

"welp, i'm gonna be on ahead. let me know if you need anything." Sans stated flatly and walked back the way he came. He disappeared from sight just a little sooner than he should have, and Hope felt her eyebrows furrow. There was no doubt as to whether or not he trusted her anymore. He obviously didn't. Now it was just up to whether or not Sans would act on it.

 _You're an idiot, you know that?_ the voice sounded annoyed. Hope shrugged.

'I don't trust many people.'

* * *

(A/N Okay, at this point, I'm honestly not quite sure what direction everything is going in. I'm kinda just making this all up as I go along. If anyone has any suggestions, I would really love to hear them. Frisk's path is pretty much set in stone, but whatever happens to Hope is totally up in the air at the moment. Honestly, I can see about a million ways things could go right now, so a suggestion or two, just telling me what _you guys_ would like to see, would be much appreciated.

Looking back on previous chapters, I realized something. When I was writing, there were little stars separating each time perspective changed. But, apparently, when I saved the chapters, the stars just disappeared, so when I posted my chapters, the changes in perspective were confusing and hard to follow. So... sorry about that. I figured out how to fix it and did so, so hopefully the story should be easier to read now.

On a better note, my views doubled yesterday. Literally. They _doubled._ I'm pretty proud of myself for that one, but I really want to thank all you who've viewed this story. I've really loved writing this, and it means so much that you, whoever you are, take valuable time out of your day to read _my_ work. So thank you for that. Happy reading!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _"Mom!" I raced into the house, excited to show her my test. "Mom, I got an A!" I dashed into the living room and stopped short._

 _"Mom?" I questioned tentatively._ _Mom was sprawled out on the couch, three glass bottles on the ground at her feet. The all too familiar scent of alcohol lingered in the air._

 _I stared at her. She said she would try to stop, try not to do this again. I held back angry tears. "Are you okay, Mom?"_

 _She shifted on the couch to look at me, her eyes foggy. A smile, that stupid grin she always wore when she was intoxicated, spread across her face. "Hey sweetie." Her voice was thick and every word formed slowly. A hiccup escaped her lips, making her body lurch. I turned away._

 _"I'm gonna go to my room." I muttered, quickly walking away. Mom muttered something incomprehensible before I heard a heavy thump. Crossing my arms protectively over my chest, I trudged up the stairs._

 _I dragged myself up to my room and walked inside, softly closing the door behind me. My forehead rested on the cool wood surface and exhaustion crept into my limbs. All I wanted was to talk to her. I wanted to see her without a bottle in her hand. Was that too much to ask?_

 _A hot tear ran down my cheek, and it took every ounce of self control I had not to slam my fist into the door._

 _Backing away, I shook my head. Maybe it was time..._

 _I inhaled through my nose, then slowly exhaled through my mouth. There was no more reason to delay. Things weren't going to get better, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself. They would never change._

 _The test crumpled in my hand, and I held it up to my face. It was a perfect score, like many others, and I had been very proud of myself when I received it. Too bad no one else was._

 _Carefully, I knelt down next to my bed and pulled out the box. It was left over from the last time I got a new pair of shoes, about three years ago. Who knows why I kept it. Eight-year-old me must have had her reasons, but now it was a storage container. I gently lifted the lid and examined the contents._

 _Inside the box was a giant pile of papers. Each paper had the words Hope Casteel written in neat, practiced handwriting and a date. At the top of each page was a letter grade, the vast majority of them A's. I placed the latest test on top, flattening it carefully. Just one more to add to the collection._

 _I placed the lid back on top and slid the box under the bed again. Someone might find it one day. They might not. I guess I'll just keep adding to the collection until they did._

 _Slowly, silently, I walked over to my window. I opened it and sighed as a wave of sweet, fresh air washed over me. A small sigh escaped me. It felt so nice. If I left, I would never have to breathe in the stale, tainted scent of this house ever again..._

 _This was crazy. I couldn't. I shouldn't. My hands tightened into fists at my sides. But how much longer could I stay here?_

 _I decided not to. I'd just... leave for a little while. An hour, tops. She'd never even know I was gone. I nodded my head, firm in my decision. It wasn't like I was leaving forever._

 _With that thought, I slipped out the window onto the roof. I'd practiced this many times, at night. I knew exactly how to crawl along the roof so I wouldn't slip, exactly where I would climb down. I'd done this too many times to count, yet I'd never had the courage to leave the yard. Heh. Today really was a special day, I suppose._

 _Happy birthday to me._

Hope was startled out of her thoughts by wind rustling the leafless trees. Another flashback. They were getting worse and worse, it felt. Those moments had been so had been so awful, so painful.

She blinked the memories from her mind and forced her legs to move. They were starting to numb, and she had to keep going. Stopping for too long could be fatal in this kind of weather. Her fingers and toes ached, reminding her. Her ears were also starting to throb, and she really hoped it didn't trigger her headache again.

 _You know,_ the voice started quietly, _I wasn't just being a smart aleck when I told you that you should've prepared better._ Hope sighed.

"I know." she replied out loud, her cracked lips aching.

On and on she trudged, through the snow and freezing cold. Her bare arms felt like ice cubes, and she pressed them tighter to her body to keep warm. All was quiet. Hope shivered violently.

 _You need shelter. Trudging on like this is dangerous._ the voice urged, and Hope shook her head.

'I can't stop. I must keep going.'

 _But-!_ The voice was cut off by an oddly familiar whooshing noise.

Hope whirled around, but saw nothing. Then she heard the sound of slippers shuffling through snow ahead of her. What did Sans want this time?

'What do I do?' she asked, starting to panic.

 _Umm, umm..._ the voice sounded nervous, hurried, _hide behind the sentry station!_

Hope ducked behind a wooden station moments before the skeleton wandered into view. Her whole body trembled and her legs ached from the sudden movement. She forced her breathing to quiet. Through a tiny hole in the wooden station, she could see Sans looking around.

"kid? you here?" he questioned, and Hope held her breath. She still didn't trust the skeleton, so the fact that he was looking for her seemed like bad news. Besides, Toriel had said it was dangerous out here. What if she meant more than just the Monster King?

 _Oh man... I only ever had Sans looking for me once, but he was super hard to shake._ the voice sounded anxious. Hope was baffled.

'Sans was looking for you?' she questioned, and she could almost feel the voice stiffen.

 _Another time._ they replied quickly, _We have other problems at hand._

Hope focused on Sans again, who was doing a quick scan of his surroundings. There was a bright blue flash and the whooshing sound, and she looked away. When she looked back up, Sans was gone. Hope's jaw almost hit the snow. He actually _disappeared._ The girl stared at the spot where he had been, completely baffled.

'Can all monsters do that?' Hope questioned, on the verge of panic.

 _No. only a certain few can._ the voice replied, and Hope relaxed.

'Thank goodness. 'Cause if they could, that would be _freaking terrifying._ ' the voice giggled, a girly sound.

Hope pushed herself back onto her feet and almost fell back down again. Her legs were dangerously cold, to the point where she could hardly feel them.

 _That's not good._ the presence voiced Hope's own thoughts, and she nodded.

'I should've accepted his offer for help earlier, shouldn't I?' she thought, and the voice paused.

 _Don't even go there._ the voice was unusually firm, taking Hope by surprise, _Don't think about the what-ifs. Just think about now. I feel everything you're feeling, so you had better get us out of here ASAP without pausing to consider._

'You feel everything I do?' Hope marveled.

 _Yes, I do,_ the voice huffed, all patience gone, _and I feel this awful cold too, so you better get your butt moving._ Hope shivered in response.

Shaking, Hope pulled herself away from the wooden checkpoint. She felt herself starting to grow tired, which was not a good sign.

 _Come on, just keep moving._ the voice urged, _No stopping. Keep going._

Her shivers grew more and more violent and consistent, to the point where they were beginning to make her back ache. Hope had only ever been this cold once before, and she clearly remembered having to be rushed to the hospital for frostbite. It definitely hadn't been minor, but it wasn't too severe. The most severely affected parts were definitely her fingertips. She instinctively glanced at her hands, immediately wishing she hadn't.

Her fingertips were turning blue.

Hope felt her breathing start to quicken. _No, don't think about it._ the voice tried to calm her, _You don't have time. Keep moving._

Slowly, Hope trudged on. As her legs lost feeling, her steps became clumsier, and soon she was stumbling down the path. She was so tired. Maybe she should just lay down and sleep for a while...

 _No,_ the voice urged, hearing her thoughts, _you can't do that. That could cost you your life._

On and on she went until her legs barely moved with each step. All feeling in them was lost, as with her arms, fingers, and toes. Her face felt like an ice cube from frozen tears.

Ahead of her, she saw an elaborate puzzle with a bunch of green O's. It appeared to be solved. Sans stood in front of it, facing the other direction.

Alarm shot through her. Sans!

 _Sans!_ the voice called, sounding exhausted, _Call out to him! Make him hear you!_

She tried to call out to, but her lips wouldn't move.

 _Come on, do something!_ the voice started to sound panicked, but so tired. _Anything..._

She forced her lips to part and make a sound. No such luck. She tried harder, putting every ounce of willpower into the action. Her legs were shaking. She couldn't hold out much longer...

"S...an...s..." Hope managed to whisper before her legs gave out. Her vision went black before her face had even hit the snow.

* * *

Sans stood facing the path ahead, thinking. The kid wasn't where he thought she would be, and he'd checked everywhere else too. She was nowhere, it felt.

Honestly, he was a bit worried about the kid. Though the snow and bitter cold didn't bother him, he knew it could cause serious issues for humans. This human- Hope, he recalled- had only been wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Not exactly practical for the weather. Maybe he should check around again, just in case.

He shook his head. Nah, that'd probably just be a waste of his time. Besides, she couldn't've gotten too far. He'd just have to wait here until she showed.

"S...an...s..." a tiny, whispered voice behind him pleaded, and he turned just in time to see the kid collapse in the snow. His eye sockets flickered in alarm, and he ran over to her side.

"kid? kid, what's going on?" he knelt by the girl and shook her shoulder. She remained still. Sans caught a glance of her hands and stared in shock.

The fingers on both hands were tinted blue, and her arms were an unnatural shade of white. Realizing what he needed to do, Sans grabbed her arm and teleported to Hotland. He then whipped out his phone to call Alphys.

"alphys, i need you out here right now. i'm outside your lab." Sans spoke urgently into the phone, skipping formalities.

"W-What? O-Okay, Sans." There was a click, and the yellow dinosaur monster emerged from the lab's sliding door. Her scales paled when she saw Sans kneeling next to the human.

"O-Oh my God. Sans, w-what h-happened to her?" Alphys questioned, racing over to his side.

"she was out in the cold too long." Sans explained, his grin grim, "she collapsed in the snow right in front of me." Alphys nodded hurriedly, wringing her hands.

"I-I think I k-know what to d-do." Alphys stammered before racing off into her lab. She quickly returned with two bowls full of warm water. "D-Dip her fingers i-in t-these." she instructed, and Sans did as he was told. Alphys retrieved two more bowls of warm water. She removed the girl's shoes and socks, then slipped her blur-tinged feet in. The only reason Sans was still sure she was alive was the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

"O-Okay, I-I think that's a-all we can do f-for now." Alphys sighed and sat down next to Sans. He nodded. The kid's skin was starting to flush as warmth returned, and they shifted a little. Alphys let out a small sigh of relief.

"O-Oh, good. I was s-starting to worry..." she stammered, rubbing her eyes. She then took off her glasses and cleaned them before pushing them back up her nose. Then, more to herself than Sans, she continued, "When t-they wake up, I-I'll need to m-make sure to get t-them some food a-and water. The food sh-should heal t-them up q-quickly..."

The girl shifted in her sleep and moaned. Then she shivered violently, pulling her hands out of the water. Alphys looked alarmed.

"N-No! Don't d-do that! T-There has been s-serious tissue damage, a-and you n-need to thaw t-them out!" Alphys stuttered and quickly placed the human's hands back in the water. The girl's eyes fluttered open for a moment, then closed again. Her face reflected a cringe-worthy pain. Sans started to wonder what the extent of the damage was.

"the food will heal the injuries, right?" Sans questioned, his pupils flicking to Alphys. The scientist nodded.

"Yeah, it sh-should be enough." she replied, "If not, w-we'll find another way." She seemed a bit uncertain, but Sans wasn't. Alphys knew what she was doing. The kid will be fine. Then he remembered something.

"hey, alph," he addressed the dinosaur woman, and she tore her eyes away from the human, "i need to check on the other kid. can you stay with her?" He motioned to the unconscious girl on the ground.

"O-Of course Sans." she replied, "I'll be fine." Sans nodded, then used one of his shortcuts. Frisk had better not be having any issues, or someone was gonna have a bad time.

* * *

(A/N That was fun. Well, not for Hope. Or Sans. Or Alphys. Or the weird voice in Hope's head...*clears throat awkwardly*

Sorry I'm posting this one so late in the day. I was in the car for a few hours, leaving me a bit short on time. On the bright side, I did a bit more editing than normal, so _hopefully_ this chapter flows a bit more smoothly than ones in the past.

I'm still up for any ideas, just so you know, and any suggestions would be great. I have some ideas, but most of them involve the ending, so the middle's totally up for grabs. As always, thank you so much for reading this, and happy reading!)


	7. Chapter 7

Frisk shuffled into the cave-looking room feeling like her feet had been replaced by bricks of lead. She'd been awake for at least eighteen hours by now, which wasn't exactly a normality for the five-year-old. Her eyelids were feeling heavy.

Sans leaned against the wall ahead of her, his eye sockets about halfway open. When he saw Frisk, his lazy grin widened a little bit. "hey kid. you're lookin' **bone** tired." Frisk grinned. She loved puns. "y'know, the nice cream man is back there. you look like you could use some grub." Sans motioned to a wooden doorway a little behind him and the girl smiled gratefully. She padded through the doorway and up to the Nice Cream man's stand. Standing on her tip-toes, Frisk looked over the counter. The Nice Cream man smiled.

"Hello little one. Would you like a Nice Cream? It's the frozen treat that melts your heart!" The Nice Cream man cheered, and Frisk held up two fingers. He nodded, then fished around in his cooler for a few seconds. He pulled out two Nice Creams and handed them to the child.

"Thanks." Frisk murmured. The Nice Cream man dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Your punch card's in the box." he reminded, motioning to the wooden box near the door. Frisk nodded and waved goodbye. He waved back.

She put one of the Nice Creams in her pocket and nibbled on the other. The food instantly made her feel better, and Frisk was suddenly had the urge to bounce on the balls of her feet. She giggled. Hope would probably be smiling at her silliness, gently scolding her about eating too much sugar. Frisk stopped.

Hope?

She suddenly remembered Hope, the game, the climbing the mountain, falling down it. Hearing Flowey, meeting Toriel, seeing Sans. Papyrus. Undyne. But where was Hope?

Frisk shivered. Hope wasn't with her. Hope was somewhere else. But where?

Oh no, where could she be? Was she looking for Frisk? Could she even find her? Was she lost?

Frisk stood in the doorway to the cavern, trying to figure out what to do. Was Hope Determined too? Maybe she could also Save. Then, when she died, she would come back, right?

Yeah, she would come back. She would come back and find Frisk, just like she always came to pick her up from school. She was just a little lete this time.

Yeah. She was just late.

* * *

Hope shivered. As feeling in body slowly returned, she felt a horrible burning sensation. She was so hot, almost feeling like she was baking, but so cold at the same time. Her fingers and toes were submerged in something weird and warm, and they started to burn. She recoiled her arms and shivered. In response, a monster made some flustered noises and placed her hands back in the water, telling Hope something she couldn't understand.

 _Where... are we?_ the voice asked, sounding groggy.

Hope's eyes fluttered open for a moment, revealing a blurry image of two monsters crouched next to her. One wore a blue sweatshirt and a worried smile, while the other looked like a yellow dinosaur. Her eyes closed again, and the burning in her limbs intensified. Hope felt her eyebrows furrow.

Then a tight, gravelly voice asked something, to which an awkward female voice replied. Hope listened, trying to piece together any sounds. The only words she was able to decipher were 'food' and 'injuries.' Thoughts of food immediately filled Hope's mind, and her stomach suddenly felt empty. What she would give for a ham sandwich right about now... The voice, however, was affected most by a different word.

 _I_ _njuries?!_ they squeaked, _Oh no! You were in the cold. It feels like you're burning, so... frostbite!_ they sounded panicked, _No, not frostbite! Symptoms include burning, swelling, tissue damage, redness..._ Hope started tuning her out after that.

The gravelly said something else before Hope heard a whooshing sound.

Wait.

Whooshing sound. Gravelly voice. Blue sweatshirt. That was Sans. The voice silenced.

 _Sans?_ they questioned, sounded shocking

The girl thought back to where she was before now. It was cold, freezing cold. All feeling in her limbs had gone, and she was so tired. So, so tired. She saw the blurry figure of Sans and tried to call out. Then everything went black.

Realization settled on Hope's mind. Sans... saved her. Somehow, he saw her in the snow and took her here, wherever here was. She shivered again, but less violently this time. The skeleton, who she had been so untrusting of, had saved her life.

The burning in her arms and legs subsided into a dull ache, while shooting paints riffled her fingers and toes. Hope's eyelids fluttered open, and she forced them to stay open this time.

Everything was blurry, and she heard the female voice again. Hope sluggishly rolled her head toward it, seeing the dinosaur lady again. The monster asked her something, but Hope couldn't hear her. She feebly shrugged her shoulders.

 _Who's she?_ the presence questioned, _I never met her..._

As her vision cleared, a more defined picture of her surroundings formed. The ground was maroon, for some reason, and the place had an odd fiery glow. The yellow dinosaur woman crouched over her. She was still talking, but all Hope's ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton, so she just stared blankly. The woman pushed her glasses farther up her nose. Then, with no warning, she stood up and raced into a metal building.

Hope wanted to call after her, yell at her to come back, but couldn't force her lips to part.

 _Wait, where's she going?_ the voice asked, _Make her come back! You can't do anything if a monster attacks you in this state!_ Fear sparked inside Hope. She parted her lips to call out but made no sound.

Thankfully, the dinosaur returned about a minute later with what appeared to be a bowl of instant noodles in her claws. She motioned for Hope to try to sit up. The girl groaned and slowly pulled herself into sitting position. A teeny smile formed on the monster's face.

"H-Hey," she stuttered, "good job. I k-know it hurts right now, but it won't s-soon, I promise." Hope nodded. The monster's voice sounded like she was speaking through a tube, but she wasn't complaining. Bad hearing was better than no hearing.

"What's your name?" Hope asked. She hated how hoarse her voice was. Alphys looked up from her claws.

"Oh, I'm A-Alphys." she stammered, "What's y-your name?" Hope swallowed, both her and the presence wincing at the painful action.

"Hope." she croaked. Alphys's smile widened just a little. She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before snapping back into reality.

"O-Oh," she stuttered, blushing, "this is for you." Alphys handed Hope the bowl of noodles. They smelled heavenly. She lifted her hands out of the water to grab it and winced.

 _Seriously?_ _Did she seriously just try to hand a person with frostbitten hands a bowl?_ the voice scoffed. Alphys' scales flushed a bright fuchsia as she yanked the bowl away, almost spilling some in her lap. "O-Oh. Sorry about that..." Hope smiled sympathetically and placed her hands back in the water, trying not to flinch at the burning sensation that broke out along her skin.

Alphys held up a spoonful of instant noodles. "I-I know it isn't ideal, but you need t-to eat." Hope nodded and opened her mouth and accepted the food. She immediately felt better, the warmth of the noodles erasing all the lingering chill from her body. An odd tingling started in her fingers, toes, and ears. Glancing down, Hope's eyes widened. The blueness that had been there before dissipated, turning her skin to a waxy white color. Her eyes flicked between Alphys and her fingers, disbelieving. Alphys giggled.

 _Amazing._ the voice seemed taken aback, _How did it do that? It obviously has different properties than human food. I wonder what's in it..._

'Would you please just be quiet? My head hurts.' I thought, and the voice ceased.

"Didn't you know? Monster food has magic healing p-properties." Alphys informed.

"First I've heard." Hope replied, her voice less hoarse than before. Alphys spooned up some more noodles for Hope.

By the time the instant noodles were finished, Hope was feeling completely normal. Hope smiled and removed her hands from the water.

"Thank you so much." she breathed, staring gratefully at the dinosaur, "For everything. I-I... that was miracle work." Alphys' scales tinged pink.

 _No, it wasn't miracle work. There is a scientific explanation for everything and-_

'You're not helping.'

"Aw, it was n-nothing..." she countered humbly, and Hope's smile widened. The girl laughed softly and stared down at her toes. Her smile quickly faded, however, and her thoughts drifted back to Sans.

"Did... did Sans... bring me here?" Hope questioned, glancing at Alphys for a moment before looking back at the ground. Alphys frowned.

"Y-Yeah, he did." she replied, then hesitated, "How did you know?"

 _Oh, you know, common sense._ the voice replied sarcastically. Hope ignored them.

"I saw a glimpse of him before he left, and it made sense that he was the one to take me here, seeing what he can do." Hope answered honestly, and Alphys paled.

"Y-You... you know?" she whispered, and Hope nodded. Alphys stared at the ground. Hope's eyebrows furrowed, and she started to think about her circumstances.

"I was such an idiot..." Hope whispered, tears starting to well in her eyes, "How could I have possibly have been stupid enough to think we could pull this off." Alphys stared, dumbfounded, and Hope squeezed her eyes closed.

 _Hope..._

"I-I just wanted to protect her. That's all I wanted." her eyes squeezed tighter.

 _Hope, stop._

"And I was stupid enough to... to..." Hope's lips trembled, and she pulled her knees to her chest. A teeny laugh escaped her, sounding more like a gasp.

"H-Hope?" Alphys questioned uncertainly, still sitting next to Hope. She reached out a hand then thought better of it, wringing her claws in her lap. Hope hid her face in her arms. She took a shuddering breath.

Hope climbed to her feet and Alphys watched nervously. "You're n-not-"

"I'm leaving." Hope cut her off, turning to walk away.

"No, don't! I p-promised Sans I'd stay with you." Alphys protested, hurriedly gaining her footing.

 _Hope, stop._ the voice pleaded, _Please, think this through-_

"No! I don't care what Sans wants!" Hope yelled, whirling around, and Alphys shrunk back. Hope stopped and her expression slackened. She shook her head and looked away.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, briefly closing her eyes, "but you're not going to change my mind. And nothing short of death will stop me from finding my sister." Alphys gasped, and Hope turned and ran.

"W-Wait! Hope, s-stop!" Alphys called desperately after her, but she didn't slow. She raced into another area with a star in the middle. There were two monsters wearing heavy black armor blocking the path to her right, so she decided to dodge left.

"Hey! Like, wait!" one of the guards called after her.

"Yeah! Like, wait!" the other responded.

 _Hope, really. She was just trying to help you-_

"Stop it!" she yelled out loud, "Stop talking to me! I don't want your voice in my head!" She shoved the presence as far back into her subconscious as she could and continued to run.

She skidded to a stop in front of a river. A hooded figure on a wooden boat waited near the shore.

"Tra la la. I'm the riverman. Or am I the riverwoman...? It doesn't really matter. I love to ride in my boat. Would you care to join me?" the cloaked figure asked, and Hope quickly nodded. She clambered on hurriedly and the boat raced off at a surprising speed. Hope shakily sat herself down, wiping tears from her face.

"Is pushing others away really the best solution?" the River Person questioned, and Hope froze.

"What?" she whispered, and the River Person started to hum, leaving her to her own thoughts. What did they mean? Were they trying to tell her something? She waited in silence, hoping the River Person might repeat their words. No such luck.

They stopped in a dark cave area, and Hope could hear the sound of rushing water. It brought back good memories.

"Come again some time. Tra la la." the River Person sang, and Hope climbed off the boat.

* * *

"S-Sans, I have s-some concerns." Alphys stuttered through the phone, her voice uneasy. Sans felt his eyes narrow in concern. That was never a great start to a conversation.

"what is it alph?" he questioned, not wanting to tip-toe around the subject. He heard a nervous sigh on the other end.

"The h-human, Hope..." her voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat, "She left." Sans felt his magic eye ignite.

"they're gone?"

"Y-Yeah." Sans pinched the bridge of his nose. Great. Looks like he'd be playing another crazy game of hide-and-seek. His perpetual grin stretched tight from stress.

"why?"

"W-Well, she woke up shortly a-after you left." Alphys started, "She w-was in a lot of pain, and I-I got her some f-food. It healed h-her up really w-well, and all the damage s-seemed to have b-been erased. She was r-really grateful, b-but then she a-asked i-i-if it was you w-who brought her here." Sans remained silent, listening. Alphys was quiet for a moment.

"O-Of course I t-told her y-yes. I m-mean, it w-was the t-truth." her stuttering began to get worse, and Sans listened closer, "She... she _knows,_ Sans. She knows about your p-power. S-She s-started t-talking about s-something I didn't u-understand. S-Something about h-her being s-stupid t-to think s-she could p-pull something o-off. T-Then she we-went on a-about just w-wanting t-to p-protect someone. P-Protect 'her'." Sans felt himself tense. What was the kid talking about?

"I-I-I tried t-to s-stop her, b-but s-she w-wouldn't listen. S-She s-started c-crying, and s-she t-told me s-she needed t-to f-find her s-sister." Sans felt his eye sockets go dark. Sister? "T-Then she j-just r-ran a-away." The scientist finished, and Sans let all this new information sink in.

The kid had seemed awfully nervous when he first met her, but now he knew there must be more to the story than that. This kid was emotionally unstable. The way she acted... she wasn't just nervous. Sans suspected there was something else in her life influencing her actions, judging by how she talked and what she did. And her sister... that must've been Frisk. It made sense, from how she appeared to know a bit about the little girl.

Sans sighed, trying to decide what to do. There was only one thing he could think of, but he didn't really want to go on another wild goose chase. But if it was the only way, Sans didn't really have a choice.

"alright alph," Sans addressed the monster on the other end of the line, "get all your cameras online. i'm gonna need to find the kid again."

* * *

(A/N Alright, so quick recap. Hope is on the run, Frisk remains determined, Alphys doesn't know what to do anymore, and poor Sans is going to have to find Hope again. I'm thinking I have to add Papyrus in somewhere, but I'm not sure where exactly. Decisions, decisions.

Oh, also, today is a _super_ special milestone for me, and I am extremely excited about it. I got my very first review *squeals*! Thank you Minerva Arhedes for placing that milestone for me! And, as always, I'm still up for any suggestions. I have my ideas, but I would love to see what you guys want to happen. Who knows? It might alter the whole path of the story.

Anyways, thank you all for reading this, and happy reading!)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Hope looked around, not really sure what to do next. There were two ways to go, and she didn't recognize either of them. Frisk could be anywhere. She decided to head left.

She entered a large room with many tunnels. There was a spark in the center, and Hope decided to use it before heading back. The girl brushed against the light with the back of her hand.

Hope waited for a moment, feeling something missing. She shrugged it off and continued forward.

After a while, she reached a dead end. She checked around and sighed. Looks like she'd be going back. Just as she turned to leave, she heard a tiny voice.

"You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you!?" whispered the soft voice of a child, almost like a recording. Hope stiffened.

"Hello?" she called, mildly creeped out, "Is anyone here?"

"Hello? Is anyone here?" a voice echoed, her voice. She whirled around and saw a large, blue flower. "Hello? Is anyone there?" it repeated.

"What?" Hope leaned into the flower, peering around its edges.

"What?"

"Are you copying me?"

"Are you copying me?"

Hope stared at the plant, her expression shifting into confusion. How was this flower repeating her? Something stirred within her, like a memory, but Hope sensed it belonged to someone else.

She turned away and headed back the way she came. There was a path she hadn't noticed before, and she decided to go down it.

The girl shivered slightly as she trudged through water again to dry land. It certainly wasn't as unpleasant as almost freezing to death in the Wintery Woods of Death, but it still wasn't comfortable. Ahead lay a small patch of marshy land before more knee-deep water, and she groaned inwardly. Then something caught her attention.

More of the blue flowers sat half submerged in the water, whispering things Hope couldn't hear from her position. She stared for a few seconds before an idea came to her.

Hope sloshed through the water up to the first flower and whispered into its petals. It whispered back, and she smiled. She continued along this way, telling each flower something before moving on. The girl approached a bridge and crossed, careful not to stray too close to the unguarded edges. For some reason, her breath had quickened, and she stopped a moment to calm herself. Then she heard an odd, slashing noise.

Jogging toward the noise, Hope started to feel a weird sort of electricity in the air. It tasted oddly metallic and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She skidded to a stop when she saw the scene unfolding in front of her.

A weird fish woman stood fully clad in armor, aside from her helmet, summoning magical blue spears from out of thin air. A breath caught in Hope's throat.

Frisk stood, shaking, using a spear to defend herself from more oncoming spears. A tiny green heat hovered just in front of her. The little girl rotated the spear tirelessly, trying to avoid being hit. She looked exhausted and her movements were slowing. Hope spotted a spear approaching from behind.

"Frisk! Behind you!" she screeched too late. The spear rammed into her, splitting into little shards of magic instantly. Frisk fell to her knees and Hope watched her HoPe bar drain to 0. Her heart almost stopped. "No!"

Nonononono. Hope raced to her sisters side. Nonono. Frisk's eyes stared ahead, unseeing, her now red soul still hovering in front of her. No. No. The iron-clad warrior stared at the two humans, one clutching the other's corpse.

"Frisk?" Hope whispered, feeling the world begin to tilt, "Frisk!" Sobs erupted from her chest, and suddenly she couldn't breath, couldn't think. There was nothing in the world, nothing except her and her broken sister. Vaguely, Hope could sense a spear being summoned, about to pierce through her heart, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered. Everything was gone.

Frisk

was

dead.

Then everything swirled into black.

Hope lifted her head, tears still streaming down her cheeks, and saw Frisk. The child stared down at her sister, concern tinging her gaze. Hope froze.

"Frisk..." she murmured, and Frisk smiled. A joyous, relieved laugh burst from Hope's lungs as she lunged for her sister, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

"I thought... I thought I lost..." Hope tried to form words, her thoughts a jumble in her head. She was alive. Her sister was _alive._

Frisk started to sob, burying her head in her sister's shoulder. "Missed you." she whispered. Hope gasped, squeezing even tighter.

"I missed you t-too..."

 _You cannot give up yet. Chara! Stay determined..._

The two girls heard the deep, familiar voice and the light started to expand. Hope felt her sister being pulled from her arms.

"Frisk!" she screamed, clinging desperately to empty air.

"Hope!"

Hope almost fell over when she was suddenly in the middle of the marshy grass again. Horror struck, and she somehow knew that Frisk and the warrior were about to battle.

"Frisk!" she yelled, racing through the flowers, "I'm coming Frisk!"

"I'm coming Frisk!" Hope heard the blue flowers whisper back, and she ran as fast as she could possibly make her legs move through the murky water. Water drenched through her clothing and chilled her bones, but she didn't care. She climbed onto dry land and sprinted, not bothering to be careful on the bridge.

Hope skidded into view of the battle, which was just beginning, and yelled "Frisk!" Frisk and the ironclad woman both turned to the sound, and Hope raced toward her sister. The woman shoved her hand at the girl, and she suddenly halted. Hope looked down. Her soul was green.

The warrior's gaze flitted between the girl and her younger sibling, trying to decide what to do. Her gaze settled on the younger and summoned spears again, turning the world black and white. Hope screamed and battled against her restraints as hard as she possibly could. The fish woman focused Frisk, hurling spear after spear at her at an increasing rate. The older pushed with her legs as hard as she could. She struggled so much it was starting to ache, but she couldn't give up. All she cared about now was her sister.

She had to persevere.

Hope could tell the woman was having a hard time combating all of her struggling, and the green on Frisk's heart finally lifted.

"Run Frisk!" Hope screeched, drawing the warrior's attention, "GO!" Frisk hesitated only a moment before obeying her sister, dashing away with surprising speed.

"HEY! No running away!" the warrior yelled, about to pursuit. Then she paused and turned to Hope. The girl paled.

" _You._ " The fish warrior growled, and Hope shrunk in on herself, " _What_ do you think you're _doing_?" The girl started to tremble, petrified of what this monster might do. Magical spears formed in a full circle around where she was trapped. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, and she struggled with all her might. " _No running away._ " the fish lady snarled and moved her arm to send all the spears at Hope. A terrified, ear-splitting screech escaped her.

"undyne!" a voice yelled, and the spears lurched forward about a foot. Hope felt the grip on her soul release and she almost lost her footing. Undyne stared.

"Sans? What are you doing here?" Undyne demanded, her attention focused on the skeleton. The spears dissipated. The girl stared at Sans, wondering how on earth he found her. Her soul suddenly felt off, and Hope looked down at it. It was blue.

"ah, y'know, just running some errands." the skeleton shrugged. With no warning, Hope flew over towards the skeleton and stopped, hovering, right beside him. Undyne stared, dumbfounded, and Sans winked. The last thing she heard was Undyne's angry screech before the world became a whirl of light and sound.

* * *

"what were you thinking?" the skeleton scolded, back in Snowdin Forest. Hope shook her head, tears clouding her vision. Sans' skeletal smile morphed to what was as close to a scowl as it could get. He felt his skeletal eyebrows shift down in anger. "you could've gotten yourself killed!"

Sans scoffed. "why, if it weren't for me, you would be dead right now!" He tried to keep his temper in check, but could almost feel it spilling over. Hope shook her head again, squeezing her eyes shut. Her arms were crossed protectively over her chest.

"you know, I can't believe you just ran off like that." the skeleton lectured, and Hope looked up at him, "first you hide from me, then run away from alphys. now you think you can pick fights with undyne?"

"I'm sorry." Hope whispered, and Sans held up a hand to silence her.

"i don't care _what_ happened. you have to stop being careless!" Sans shook his head angrily at the ground, then looked back up at the kid. Hurt reflected in her eyes.

"do you have any idea how panicked alphys was after you left? she knew undyne was on the lookout for humans, and guess what you are?" Sans continued, and the hurt in Hope's eyes deepened. She stared at the ground, then shivered.

"Can we go somewhere else?" she whispered, and Sans went on like he hadn't heard her.

"the only reason I found you was because you shouted and happened to be close to the echo flowers. do you have any idea how freaking lucky that is?" Sans wanted to swear, to curse this kid out for every worry she'd caused, but he held back.

"Sans, I don't like it here." Hope insisted, and Sans ignored her.

"why am I even helping you? I have no reason to-"

"Sans, please stop!" Hope yelled, and Sans stopped. He hadn't realized it before, but the kid was shaking violently. He took her hand and teleported into his and Papyrus' house. Since the other skeleton wasn't currently home, they still had some privacy. Hope still shook.

"sorry. i know that place must have some bad memories attached." Sans muttered, refusing to make eye contact. Hope stared.

"Sorry?" she whispered, a barely controlled rage in her voice, "That's all you can say? Sorry?" A humorless, disbelieving laugh escaped her lips, and Sans stared.

"So let me get this straight. I almost died back there, so you take me and teleport to another place I almost _died_ in and yell at me for running away because I was _scared_?" Hope spat, shaking, "I'm sorry if I don't trust people I just met. I'm sorry if I worried a friend of yours so I could go _find my lost sibling._ I'm sorry if I don't make an elaborate plan before I go and rescue my sister who I already watched _die_." Her whole body trembled, her eyes chunks of cold, hard emerald.

Sans was stunned into silence. Then, remembering his voice, he cleared his throat.

"you watched you sister... die?" he asked softly, hoping he didn't upset the kid more. She seemed kinda unstable as it was.

"Yes." she whispered, tears forming in her eyes again, "It-It was awful. That _creature_ killed her. I-I watched as the l-l-light faded from her eyes..." Sobs formed, and Hope sank to the floor. She buried her head in her hands and cried, a heart-breaking, painful kind of sob. "I just couldn't stand by and know that she was in the battle again, that she might be _dying_ again. I just couldn't..."

Sans suddenly felt awful. Maybe he had been a bit too harsh. He knew how much the kid must care for Frisk, to search for her so avidly. He crouched down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"look, i'm really sorry kid. i understand-"

"You don't understand a thing!" she snapped, roughly knocking away his hand, "You don't know what it's like to watch someone you love so dearly die and knowing they would have to die again if you didn't do something! I made a promise, one that I ontend to keep!" She stared grape and navy blue pattern of the carpet a moment, sighing softly.

"I'm sorry Sans." she murmured, her eyes closed, "I overreacted a little. I was just so scared, so angry." She suddenly seemed afraid, lie she realized she just made a life-threatening mistake. "Please don't be mad at me. I promise I didn't mean it. I'll never do it again, I swear." Sans stared, confused.

"what? no, you don't have to be sorry." Sans interrupted, and Hope stopped. The look she gave him threw him off guard. Was she... scared of him? Sans shook his head. "in fact, I should be sorry. i overacted a bit, too." Hope nodded slightly, seeming to calm a bit. Sans took a deep breath, hoping the kid didn't freak out again. "maybe you should take a break for a little while. stay here." To his surprise, Hope nodded.

"Yeah. That might be best." She smiled shakily, and Sans felt his relief wash over him. Though he didn't want to admit it, he cared about the kid. She'd been through so much, some of which he didn't even know. Hope looked at him, and he offered a hug. Hope sobbed and clung to him like a life vessel. Sans smiled. At least she was safe now.

* * *

(A/N Oh my gosh, all the feels. *sobs*

Okay, so that was a roller coaster ride. Why did I tamper with your emotions so much? You'll see~

Anyway, I actually know what I'm doing (kind of) now, so I'm probably still going to continue updating daily. If I keep this up for the whole rest of the story, I'm going to be super proud of myself.

Well, as always, I'm still open to suggestions if you have any, so don't be shy. I really hope you're all enjoying reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it, and happy reading!)


	9. Chapter 9

( A/N Just a few quick notes before you start reading. For those of you who aren't totally new to this story, I changed the title. This story is the same story as Tales of an Older Sister, but I really started hating that title, so I changed it. Sorry! Also for those of you who have been reading this, I just want to let you know that I have done some editing and ended up changing a _major_ component of the story, so you might want to skim through the previous chapters before you read this. If you don't, well, things probably won't make much sense to you.

Oh, and fair warning: there is a child abuse scene in this. If you would rather not read that part, skip paragraph in italics. Read the rest of the italics, though. They're important.)

 **Chapter 9**

Undyne storms through Waterfall, rage brewing inside her. _That little traitor!_ She could hardly believe that one of her sentries had betrayed her like that. If the little punk thought he could just go pull something like that, he was sadly mistaken.

"Frisk!" one of the echo flowers whispered in a girl's voice, sounding petrified. Undyne paused, thinking she recognized that name.

"I'm coming Frisk!" the same child's voice cried desperately, and Undyne was lost in her thoughts for a moment. Was that...?

 _No!_ Undyne growled and trudged forward. That girl was a human! Humans were creatures made of darkness and destruction, and this girl was no exception.

Determination coursed through the warrior and her eyes blazed. She would find that puny skeleton and his human friend and take the seventh soul.

There would be no more running.

* * *

Sans sighed. It had been about five hours since he and the kid arrived, give or take, and she was now perched next to Papyrus on the couch. Hope took an instant liking to his bro, and she hadn't left his side since she came. Paps seemed to like her too. This did nothing to ease Sans' worries, however.

Though the kid was making a visible effort for Papyrus, something was still off. She seemed subdued, worried. His first thought was that she was concerned about her sister, but he sensed something else was bothering her as well.

Something far more troubling.

Sans felt his smile stretch thin as he sat on the stairs. He was tired from all the magical energy he expended trying to find the kid. His chin dropped into his hands.

His eyes drifted up towards the kid and his bro and he found himself staring. Papyrus had his favorite TV show on, Cooking With Mettaton, and was narrating everything happening onscreen to Hope. She nodded but didn't really seem to be listening. Her eyes kept drifting and her smile fading, only to brighten up when Paps glanced at her. Something was definitely on her mind.

Sans' skeletal eyebrows knit together. He'd hope the kid would tell him if something was wrong, but he knew better. She might trust him now, but she didn't exactly seem like the type to be open with all her feelings. The magical pupils in his eye sockets disappeared as he checked her stats.

Oh no.

His gaze locked on the stat, not sure if he should trust his vision. Was he seeing this right? Blinking a few times, he confirmed that his mind was not playing tricks on him.

Her HoPe was at 18.

That was not good. That was _really_ not good. Normally, a monster's HoPe only drained when something tragic happened, like the loss of a loved one or a crippling disease. It sometimes happened quickly, with monsters losing as many as 5 HoPe points per day, but that was unusual

Clutching his head, Sans tried to think of what this could mean. Monsters who lost HoPe points usually fell into a deep depression and grew weak. Some even fell down. A shiver tingled down his spine. If Hope kept up at this rate, it wouldn't be too long before her HoPe was down to 1. As far as he knew, one's HoPe level couldn't get any lower than that, but it was still extremely dangerous. Monsters pushed to that level usually could barely stand and didn't usually make it long. Well, except himself. His circumstance wasn't exactly common.

Glancing over at the couch, Sans saw Hope's eyes start to drift shut. Papyrus continued his commentary, not seeming to notice the half-asleep child next to him. Sans' smile widened slightly.

Papyrus stood up and walked over to the kitchen.

"wha'cha doin' bro?" Sans asked, padding over. Papyrus was beginning to remove a large pot and some ingredients from a cabinet and turned to Sans in surprise.

"OH! BROTHER!" Papyrus exclaimed, then lowered his voice, "I'M MAKING SPAGETTI." Sans grinned.

"cool." he replied, and his grin lessened, "did you happen to notice anything... weird? about the kid?" Papyrus' expression grew concerned.

"WELL," he hesitated, rubbing the back of his skull, "SHE DID SEEM AWFULL QUIET, BUT I KNOW NOT ALL HUMANS ARE TALKATIVE, SO..." He trailed off. He looked back at Sans.

"yeah. heh." Sans looked away, "well i can assure you they're not normally this quiet." Papyrus' gaze etched with worry.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK IS WRONG?" the taller skeleton questioned, and Sans shook his head.

"i have many theories," he replied, "but I don't really know anything for sure." Papyrus cocked his head. Sans sighed. "can we talk later? i don't want the kid to hear us, and i'm not sure if they're quite asleep yet." Papyrus nodded in understanding, then stared at the pot in his hands.

"PERHAPS MY SPAGETTI WILL MAKE THEM FEEL BETTER!" Papyrus suggested, and Sans grinned. Leave it to his brother to try to fix everything.

"yeah bro. im sure it will."

* * *

Hope sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Where was she-?

Oh yeah. She was at Papyrus and Sans' house. The scent of tomato sauce drifted from the kitchen, making Hope's mouth water. Papyrus was humming happily to himself.

She pushed herself onto her feet and swayed a little, almost falling back on the couch. Weird...

Hope padded into the kitchen and saw Papyrus stirring the contents of a pot with gusto. He spotted her and his face instantly lit up. "HELLO HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS PREPARING SPAGETTI FOR DINNER!" Hope smiled shyly and peered into the pot. There were some... unusual ingredients in it, to say the least. She spotted pineapples, corn chips, yellow peppers, and some olives in the pot as well as spaghetti noodles and a red sauce. Wait, was that a piece of fabric...?

"Can I help?" she asked timidly, and Papyrus' expression was so happy Hope could almost swear he was glowing.

"OF COURSE YOU CAN!" he exclaimed and fished around in a cabinet for a few seconds. He pulled out three plates in a neat stack and handed them to the girl, motioning for her to wait before placing three spoons and napkins on top. "YOU CAN SET THE TABLE." he told her, and she nodded.

As she strode over to the table, she hummed quietly to herself. It was her favorite tune, the one Mom always played when she cooked. It was quite a rare occasion for her to hear it anymore...

 _I worked quickly in the kitchen, preparing a meal for everyone. Mom was unable to do so at the moment, giving her current... state, so it was up to me again. I had grilled cheese sandwiches cooking on the griddle and fresh fruit cut up. I placed the fruit bowl on the table and turned to the rest of the kitchen. Now I just needed to set up the plates._

 _I scooped three plates up from inside the cabinet and set them out at all our spots. Dad's plate was at the head of the table, and Mom's was to his left. I sat to his right._ _Then I grabbed three forks and set one beside each plate, deciding to give Dad the biggest one. Sometimes he got mad when I gave him a small fork, but sometimes he didn't. I always assumed he would._

 _After everything was just so, I peeled the grilled cheese sandwiches off the griddle with a spatula and set them on a plate. Carefully, I placed the plate on the table and went back to the sink to pour everyone some water. I placed the first two cups, a glass for Dad and a plastic cup for me, on the table and poured a water bottle bottle for my mom. I walked into the living room where she was passed out on the couch and knocked on the door frame. She started awake._

 _"Hi honey." She greeted, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. I strode silently over and handed her the bottle. She nodded absently. "Thank you." I walked back to the kitchen and glanced at the clock and sighed in relief. Six thirty. Dad hated it when I was late, and he was sure to be home any minute. The soft sound of snoring drifted from where I came._

 _Suddenly, the front door banged open, making me jump. Oh no. That meant either Dad was having a bad day or he was mad at someone. Neither was good._

 _"Hope!" He shouted, anger tinting his voice, "Get in here right now!" I suppressed a shiver. Looks like it was the latter. I hurried into the entryway and stared down at my feet._

 _"Welcome home." I greeted quickly, still not looking up. When he was mad, it was best not to look him in the eye. His glare felt like it was burning holes in my head, but I refused to look up._

 _"Don't pretend you don't know what's going on." he growled, malice in his voice, "Drop the innocent act." Crap._

 _"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." I replied quietly._

 _"Don't give me that. You know exactly what you did." he snarled, sounding equal part animal and human. I swallowed, trying to think of all the things I've done in the last week. I'd gotten all A's, never been tardy to school, had no calls made home..._

 _Oh no. He didn't know about..._

 _"Mrs. Bruger called me a few days ago, on your birthday." he started in a frightening tone. Oh no no no. He knew, crap, he knew. "She claimed to have watched you climb onto the roof from the yard and inside the house through your bedroom window." He spoke harshly, taking a menacing step forward. I felt fear creep into my eyes._

 _"Here's the deal. If you tell me what Mrs. Bruger said was true, I will punish you accordingly," he said softly, his tone almost comforting if not for the threatening words, "But if you tell me Mrs. Bruger was_ _ **lying** , I will ask everyone else in the neighborhood if they saw you sneaking around outside." I stiffened. The punishment would no doubt be severe if I told the truth, but if he caught me lying... I shuddered. Lord knows what he would do._

 _Dad spread his arms. "Okay **sweetheart** ," his tone was a false, menacingly sweet, "tell me the truth. But if you dare lie... well, I'd hope you're not that stupid." The breath caught in my throat. Should I risk it? I mean, what if someone else _had _seen me outside? I inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth, a bittersweet reminder of when Dad was actually a good parent._

 _Hah. Just a memory now._

 _"I..." I hesitated, mustering as much bravery as I could, "I did it. I snuck out." I squeezed my eyes shut before looking up at him for the first time. He seemed satisfied, and there was a cold glint in his eye._

 _"I see." He said flatly, his eyes hard chunks of ice. I shrunk in on myself, not able to hide my fear any longer. This was by far the worst thing I'd ever done, and I've gotten decent injuries before. This was going to be bad._

 _Dad calmly removed his business jacket as I inched toward the kitchen. Maybe I could outrun him this time._

 _I eyed him warily. He always twitched a little before he lunged, a tiny detail really. Heh. You start to notice things when you're attacked on a regular basis._

 _His hand twitched, and I bolted for the kitchen. He careened after me, and I ducked just before we collided._

 _Scrambling to my feet, I moved so the table lay between him and me. All the food was perfectly laid out still._

 _Dad slowly climbed to his feet, staring daggers in my direction. He approached the table slowly and I stayed still. If I ran, he would chase me, and I would never make it out the door. I had to stay still. His chest heaved, and eyed me like a fox would a rabbit. I felt my heart start to thunder and my breath quicken, but still I forced my feet to stay firmly planted._

 _Without any warning at all, Dad flipped the table. I screeched and ducked as everything on it flew at me. A glass of water broke on my head, sending an explosion of pain in its wake. Then I felt the table land hard on my knee._

 _I was thrown downwards as the table slammed my left leg to the ground. I hurriedly slipped my fingers under it to free myself when a nearly bone-crushing force pressed down, making me cry out. Looking up, I froze in horror. He was on the other side of the table, pressing it down into my leg with all his might. My eyes widened and I whimpered. He just laughed._

 _"I'm sorry Hope, but you gotta learn this stuff." he shrugged. I could sense his feet near mine. Dangerously close._

 _"Please Dad, stop." I whimpered, terror shooting through me. My fingers pulled on the table, eight-year-old hands trying desperately to alleviate any pressure. Dad raised his leg right above mine and my heart stopped._

 _"DAD STOP!" I yelled, then screamed in pain as the bone-crushing force came down on my leg._

The next thing Hope knew, she was on the floor, chest heaving and hands pressed flat to the ground.

 _Hope! Hope, are you okay?_ Panic flared inside Hope. Who was that? Where was she?

Large, gloved hands reached for her, and she screamed, batting them away. Nonononono! She couldn't let them touch her!

 _Hope, calm down! You're okay! Nobody's gonna hurt you! You're okay!_ the voice sounded desperate now, making panic swell within her even more.

"HUMAN? HUMAN, WHAT'S WRONG?" a voice asked, familiar but still terrifying. Hope screamed as another hand reached for her face. She heard the vague sound of a door opening.

"hope?" a voice questioned, even more familiar. Soothingly familiar. "hope, it's just me and pap. there's nothing to be afraid of." There's nothing to be afraid of...

 _It's just Sans Hope! He's not gonna hurt you!_

Hope blinked away tears she hadn't even realized were there and saw Sans. His expression was worried, his skeletal eyebrows knitting together. Hope sobbed. She was safe. She was here. There was no Dad, it was just a memory...

"hey kid. you okay?" Sans asked, and Hope felt herself shaking. Was she okay? She didn't think so. Salty tears rolled down her cheeks, and she didn't even bother to wipe them away. Long, skeletal arms curled around her and she leaned against their owner. Papyrus hugged her tight. She sobbed and clung to him, afraid to let go. She never wanted to let go again.

* * *

She lay awake on the couch that night, thinking. Both Sans and Papyrus had tried to act normal after her panic attack, but she knew they were concerned. Hope could see it in the way they treated her. She felt like a china doll. So fragile, always on the verge of being broken but never quite there.

Hearing noise from upstairs, she sat up. It was Sans and Papyrus. They were speaking in low voices. Hope silently climbed off the couch and crept up to the door. She stood, listening.

"SANS, I'M WORRIED." Papyrus said softly from inside the bedroom. Hope could almost imagine Sans nodding in response.

"yeah, me too."

"WHAT SHOULD WE DO?"

"well..." Sans started, "i'm not entirely sure. i noticed something earlier today, though." He paused.

"her hp went down."

"WHAT?" Papyrus exclaimed a little too loudly, "SORRY," he muttered, then continued quietly, "BUT WHY?"

"i think it might have to do with her sister." Sans replied, "the other kid, frisk, is her sister, and she's been trying to track her down for a while now." Sans sighed. "she seems awfully anxious about it, about this whole place, in fact. she's much less... trusting, than frisk."

"IS THAT BAD?" Papyrus questioned, his tone worried.

"dunno. might be. depends what the reason behind it is." the other skeleton answered. Hope felt her heart pounding in her chest as she pulled up her stats.

Sans was right. Her HoPe was down to 18.

What could that mean? How did she lose HP? She didn't even know that was possible!

Hope turned from the door and paced back down the stairs, making more noise than she intended. The voices inside the bedroom ceased. Cursing herself, Hope sped to the door and breathed deeply.

Her hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment before she turned it, immediately freezing in place. Standing out in the cold air in his usual attire was Sans. Crap.

"hey buddy." Sans said nonchalantly, and Hope remained frozen. How did he always know what she was going to do? "wha'cha up to?"

"You know exactly what I'm doing." she muttered, staring at a suddenly very interesting snow poff. Sans scoffed.

"kid, look, if you think you can do anything to help her-"

"I can and will help!" Hope interjected, earning an annoyed glare from the skeleton, "She is my sister. It is my responsibility to take care of her." Sans' expression softened.

"do you really think she would've gotten this far if she couldn't handle herself?" he asked, and Hope paused. She'd never thought of that before. Sans continued, "i know you wanna find her, but maybe leaving at three am isn't the best solution." Hope shook her head as tears crept into her vision.

"I know, but..." she sighed, then looked back at Sans, "I need her just as much as she needs me, maybe even more. She's my stability, the one thing I can take care of. I... I can actually control her situation to an extent." She shook her head angrily. "But now I can't and it's just..."

Sans examined her like a doctor would a patient then sighed. "you're not leaving without me." Hope stared at him, confused.

"Why not?" she questioned. He barely knew her, and yet he seemed to care more than she ever would have expected. Why? Sans looked down at the snow and closed his eyes, a caring smile on his face.

"i can't just let you go it alone." he answered, "i mean, undyne's probably searching for you right now, and you're still wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. seriously kid, didn't you learn anything?" Hope giggled. "and you... seem like you have a lot of emotional instability." The girl searched for words to reply with found none.

"Okay Sans. Guess you're coming." Sans grinned, then shrugged.

"oh, i hate to be picky, but one more request." Sans started. Hope raised an eyebrow. "can we leave... i dunno, in the morning?" Hope giggled again.

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

(A/N Heeeeeey everyone! This one was kind of hard to write. I actually started crying when I read over the flashback again. Another day in the life of an author, I guess...

And sorry for posting this chapter late. Posting daily has been really stressful, so I've decided to spread out my schedule just a smidge more. From here until further notice, I will be posting every Wednesday and Saturday. I noticed waiting a little longer gives me more time to edit, which makes me feel a little better about what I'm posting. So sorry to be making you wait, but I think it's better this way.

As always, feel free to make suggestions because I've read my work so many times I don't know if it really sucks that much or if I'm being a perfectionist. Happy reading!)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Hope waited by the River Person impatiently. Sans agreed to meet her here at 7:00 AM sharp, and it was now 7:25. She huffed impatiently and paced, forming a little circular path in the snow.

"Where is he?" she demanded out loud.

"Tra la la. Where could he be. Tra la la." the River Person sang, and Hope glanced back. They were swaying back and forth serenely. She smiled.

"sup kid." Sans greeted as he appeared behind Hope. She jumped about ten feet in the air, whirling around.

"Sans! You can't just sneak up on me like that!" she lectured, her heart pounding. He'd scared the daylights out of her. He shrugged, his grin widening.

"what? i'm too lazy to walk." he replied, and Hope glared at him.

"You're also too lazy to be punctual."

"exactly." Hope sighed exaggeratedly, and Sans winked. Huffing, she climbed on the boat.

"Coming Sans?" she called over her shoulder, and Sans raised his nonexistent skeletal eyebrows.

"we're not taking the boat."

"What?" Hope stared, starting to get annoyed, "Why are we here, then?" Sans shrugged again.

"it seemed like a good place to meet." Sans pointed out, and Hope sighed. She climbed out of the boat, almost falling in the water in the process, and onto the snowy ground. The skeleton held out his hand and Hope reluctantly took it. Everything was a whir of light and sound for a couple seconds until they arrived inside a metal building. Releasing Sans' hand, Hope stumbled forward and caught herself.

There was a weird screen to her left, and Hope found her eyes drawn to it. In the center was Frisk. _Her_ Frisk. Hope's jaw dropped. Her little sister was travelling through a blue-tinted area right now, seeming surprisingly carefree.

"Oh, Sans? I-Is that you?" Alphys called from an upstairs area.

"yup." Sans replied simply.

"O-Okay. I'll be down in a second." Hope heard the sound of Alphys nervously scrambling downstairs (on an escalator...?) before she came stopped in front of Sans. She froze when she saw Hope.

"She's h-here?" Alphys asked nervously, suddenly afraid. Sans quirked a skeletal eyebrow.

"Who's here?" a familiar voice called down, and Hope stiffened. That wasn't really Undyne... right? In reply to her thoughts, the fish woman skidded down the escalator behind Alphys and glanced around suspiciously. Her unpatched eye narrowed when she saw Hope and Sans.

"What are you two doing here?" she growled menacingly, making Hope's eyes widen. Crap crap crap crap crap. Sans stepped protectively between the girl and warrior.

"undyne, it's fine. she doesn't want any harm." Sans said in a dangerously low voice. For some reason, this frightened Hope even more.

"Sans, you little TRAITOR!" Undyne yelled, taking a step forward. Alphys squeaked and watched with wide eyes. "She's a human! We need her soul!" Hope's eyes widened even more. Her soul? Why did they want her soul? Something inside her stirred, like it knew the answer, then backed down again. Sans' eyes narrowed.

"she's innocent, undyne." he countered coolly. Undyne growled again, flicking her hand. A few dozen magical, blue spears formed in a tight circle around Hope. She stiffened even more than she already had been and crossed her arms in a protective X over her chest. Sans' eye glowed blue, his other pupil vanishing. "undyne." he demanded, his tone warning. She snarled at him.

Hope's breathing became fast and irregular, and the world started to spin. Tears formed in her eyes as the warrior woman glared between her and Sans. Just as she raised her arms to release the spears, Sans teleported right next to Hope and grabbed hold of her arm before the world was color and sound again.

The two appeared next to the sitting statue of a monster. It's arms were folded neatly in its lap, and a red umbrella was perched carefully in between. A calming music box melody echoed from somewhere inside it.

"i'm really sorry kid." Sans murmured, rubbing the back of his skull. Hope said nothing. The skeleton sighed.

"if you want, i can take you back to the house." Hope slowly shook her head, still not taking her eyes off the statue. Sans' pupils flicked between the statue and her once. "heh. welp, i'm going to head back to the lab and try to straighten things out. you okay with staying here?" Sans questioned, concern etching his voice. Hope nodded absently, and she heard him teleport away.

 _"Hope, statue!" Frisk squealed excitedly, and I grinned. In front of us stood a stone angel, kneeling on her pedestal. She looked down, her kind, unseeing eyes watching those who were shorter than four feet tall. I always thought that statue was nice._

 _I heard a legend once about her watching over neighborhood children and keeping them safe. My smile saddened. Too bad the legends weren't true._

 _"Yeah, that's a statue. You like it?" I asked, and Frisk nodded enthusiastically. She ran over to it and I chased her, careful to keep the umbrella over her head. The little girl placed a gentle hand on it._

 _"Wet." she remarked sadly, her big, brown eyes staring into its stone ones. I smiled._

 _"Yeah, she always gets wet in the rain." Frisk frowned._

 _"Sad." she replied, then perked up._

 _"Oh! Idea!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down in the rain, "Give umbrella?" She pointed to the red umbrella in Hope's hand._

 _"I don't know..." I replied, considering, "Then we'd have to walk home in the rain." Frisk pouted._

 _"But wet!" she protested, "Please?" I smiled lightly._

 _"Okay, fine," I caved, scooping her up, "but I'm gonna make_ _ **you**_ _do it." Frisk giggled, then took the umbrella from me. She propped it carefully over the statue, taking care to cover the angel's head, then admired her handiwork. She began to squirm in my grip._

 _"Down!" she commanded, and I laughed. I lowered her to the ground and she grabbed my sleeve. The smile on my face widened a little._

A sob escaped Hope after the memory passed. Her sister was still... well, her sister. She was still doing what she does. Hope leaned against the statue and felt comforted. The music box played on, its tune like a soothing lullaby. Tears clouded her vision, and Hope curled into a little, softly crying ball. Where could Frisk be?

* * *

Sans teleported back to the lab, his magic eye glowing bright blue and yellow. He really hoped he didn't have to fight Undyne, but if it came down to it, he may have to dodge some spears. Alphys jumped a mile.

"Sans!" she exclaimed, looking relieved and nervous at the same time. "You j-just missed her." Sans' eyes widened.

"where'd she go?" he questioned, worry starting to pool inside him. If she found the kid before he found her...

"I don't kn-know." Alphys admitted, looking down at her toes, "She just stormed out s-saying that she was going to 'hunt them d-down'." Sans froze. Definitely not good.

"how long ago did she leave?"

"R-Right after you left." Crap. That means she had at least five minutes on him, and Undyne was fast when she was mad. She wasn't wearing her armor either, so she would probably be sprinting. She'd be to Hope in no time flat.

"welp, guess i gotta go then." Sans replied quickly, and Alphys nervously nodded. The skeleton teleported to the bridge before the Hotland entrance. No sign of her. He checked the place right before that, with the echo flowers. She wasn't there either.

He visited the room with a single echo flower. No Undyne.

As Sans continued to teleport from room to room, he felt his energy drain. He was using too much magical energy too fast. He knew he needed to find Undyne, but he could no longer teleport more than ten feet. If he kept this up, he might dust himself, and that was a risk he could not take. Looks like he'd be running.

* * *

"Hey punk!" Hope's head jerked up with a start at the sound of someone yelling at her. She stared in terror at Undyne, who loomed menacingly above. "Yea, that's right! I found your sorry butt!" Undyne stomped her foot and Hope shot to her feet, bumping the umbrella and sending it flying in the process. It hit the warrior in the face, and she growled.

"No more games!" she shouted, and Hope trembled, "We fight right here, right now. No running away!" Hope's heart turned green and Undyne tossed her a spear, which she caught clumsily. Undyne raised her hand and about a dozen spears materialized. Hope held up the spear defensively as the weapons flew at her, one shattering after hitting her side and the other her leg. She winced in pain and watched her HP bar drop to 10. Hot panic seared in her stomach like a knife, as well as real pain, as she did her best to dodge another wave of weapons. Only one hit her this time, in the arm, lowering her HP to 4. Nononono.

Hope remembered the spider donut in her pocket and pulled it out. She basically shoved the whole thing in her face and sighed in relief as her HP bar returned to 16. Spears flew at her again, and she just barely dodged them all. Undyne laughed.

"Nice job, but I bet you can't dodge this!" she gloated, hurling a bunch of golden spears at Hope. Noticing they were backwards, Hope cursed to herself. She tried her best to block them all, but ended up getting hit three times. Burning pain filled every inch of her body as her HP lowered to 4 again. Undyne launched another wave of spears, and Hope tirelessly blocked. She'd just thought she was in the clear when she saw Sans run toward her.

"Sans!" she called desperately, then felt a spear shatter aginst her body. She froze in shock. Her HP bar drained to 0, and Hope felt everything start to spin.

"kid!" Sans called out to her, running forward. The last thing she saw was Undyne's triumphant smile.

* * *

"Gah!" Hope cried out with a start when she was suddenly in the lab again. The world was still spinning, and she collapsed onto her hands and knees. The shaking she felt was uncontrollable, and her limbs threatened to give. She sensed spears surrounding her, and panic swelled within her. Not again, not again!

"Sans, you little TRAITOR!" Hope heard Undyne yell.

"she's innocent undyne." Sans countered coolly, and the strongest sense of Deja vu washed over Hope. Wait, where had she been before now?

All she remembered was blackness, not even to the point of dark anymore. She had felt a deep peace, deeper than she had ever felt in life. Then she remembered.

That's because she wasn't alive.

Hope shivered. She had died again, and her sister had too, somehow. They both died, then appeared back in the world at a certain, hand-picked time. And now Hope was here. Being threatened by spears. Again.

Ugh.

Sans teleported to her side, crouching, and grabbed her arm. They were suddenly in the little cave with the statue again. Hope stumbled from Sans' grasp and landed on her hands and knees again. She panted for a few seconds before she turned to Sans, her eyes wide. He stared, shock and concern lingering in his gaze.

"Go. Now." she commanded, and he continued to stare.

"what? kid, look-"

"Go now!" she urged, ignoring him. His gaze was skeptical, so she elaborated. "Go find Undyne. Otherwise she's gonna find me and I'll die again." Sans' eyes widened.

"you di-"

"Yes I died! Now go!" Hope was on the verge of panic. If he didn't go now, she might die again, and who knows if she would come back this time. Sans nodded quickly and was gone. Hope sighed in relief.

She settled back into the statue, tiredness weighing at her limbs. It almost felt like the statue was watching over her. It was comforting, in a way. The girl smiled and was quickly asleep.

* * *

(A/N Hello everyone! I looked back on my writing and realized that Hope hadn't actually died in a while. Last time she died was back in the Ruins, so I obviously had to kill her again. Obviously. You know, just another author traumatizing their characters.

Anyway, thank all of you guys for your support. It's been really great. Every time I see that someone favorite or followed my story, that feeling... it's amazing. Really, just amazing. Oh, and also, thank you Asriel, Minerva Arhedes, and KarmicRetribution for your amazing reviews, and thanks to everyone to just decided to take time out of their day to read my story. I really appreciate it.

Like always, any suggestions are much appreciated (I'll also take ideas for little shorts. I've been wanting to make a few of those for a little while now...), and please feel free to review. The next update should be on Wednesday the 6th. Happy reading!)


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Sans was in the lab again, the kid safe in the statue room. He prayed to God he got to Undyne in time. Alphys jumped when he appeared, then pointed to the door. "Undyne just left. If you leave now, you c-can probably c-catch her." Sans nodded quickly and teleported right in front of the bridge to Hotland, which, oddly enough, was about ten feet in front of the fish woman. She skidded to a stop right before they collided. Her expression shifted from shock to uncertainty to rage in about two seconds.

"Sans." she growled, a blue spear appearing in her hand, "What do you want?"

"i just want to talk." Sans replied coolly, about a dozen bones and a Gaster Blaster appearing above his head. Undyne's eye darted nervously between the blaster and him, narrowing.

"About what?"

"ah, y'know," Sans shrugged, not removing his gaze from the fish woman, "reasons you should stop trying to murder my friend, why you're acting like a seven-year-old, all the basics." Undyne's eye narrowed.

"Why should I listen to you?" she growled, and Sans' magic eye flared blue.

"'cause if you don't," his sockets turned black, " **you're gonna have a bad time.** " Undyne looked afraid for a split second before she put on a defiant expression.

"Fine." the spear in her hand disappeared, and she scowled at the skeleton. He nodded tightly and waved his hand, dissolving all his magic. Undyne huffed and turned on her heel. "Keep up, skelebrain." She stomped down the path toward Alphys' lab, muttering to herself, and Sans shrugged.

"meet ya there." he called after her, and she whipped around just in time to see him disappear. He reappeared in Alphys' lab to see her wringing her hands nervously.

"H-How'd it go?" she questioned, her voice shaking slightly. Sans shrugged.

"fine, so far. she's on her way over here now." he glanced nonchalantly over to the door, which burst open seconds later. Undyne stood, sweat glistening on her forehead and panting heavily. She marched up to Sans and stood in front of him, hate flaring in her gaze. Sans returned the stare, tucking both hands in his pockets.

"welp," Sans started, "guess i got the center stage. heh..." He rubbed the back of his skull. "well, there's a second human in the underground." Undyne scoffed and shot Alphys a 'Can you believe this guy?' look.

"Tell me something I don't know." Sans' eyes narrowed slightly.

"heh. alright." Sans eye flared blue for a second. Alphys shrunk in on herself. "the second is the first's sister. she's been tirelessly trying to track her down the whole time they've been down here. alphys knows exactly how much trouble that's been causing her." Alphys nodded nervously.

"T-That's right. Sans actually took her h-here yesterday because of severe frostbite f-from being out in the snow too long." she added quickly.

"What's frostbite?" Undyne asked, looking puzzled.

"Oh, it's a human sickness." Alphys explained hurriedly, "Humans get it when they've been exposed to cold for too long woth t-too little protection." Undyne nodded slowly. Sans cleared his throat, causing both monsters to look back at him. Alphys' scales turned pinkish.

"anyway, she's been having one heck of a time trying to get back to her sister. she cares about her more than she cares about herself. and because of a certain someone," Sans stared pointedly at Undyne, who narrowed her eye, "she's been having an even harder time than she normally would be. the poor kid watched her sister _die._ " Alphys gasped and Undyne's eye widened.

"D-Die?" Alphys whispered, "How's that even p-possible? Can she-" Alphys paused to consider for a moment, then paled, "Is she... the anomaly?" Sans shook his head.

"no, i don't think so." he replied, "i don't think she has the ability to reset. she's too... careful. her sister, frisk, on the other hand, seems unusually carefree for her situation." His skeletal eyebrows furrowed. "frisk may very well be able to... manipulate time. if she's died before and still come back, than she must be able to 'reset' time to the last time she died." Alphys nodded, and Undyne looked dumbfounded.

"Wait, what?" Undyne waved a hand in front of her, using the other to pinch the bridge of her nose, "Manipulating time? Dying and coming back? Anomaly? What are you two going on about?" Alphys and Sans looked up.

"sorry undyne." Sans shrugged, "just trying to figure out weird occurrences." Undyne nodded skeptically, looking no less confused than before. Sans sighed. "anyway, seeing her sister die like that seems to have... affected hope- the other human- tremendously. her hp has... taken a hit." Undyne paled, her eye widening. Alphys gasped softly.

"Her HoPe... l-lowered?" Alphys questioned. The skeleton nodded grimly.

"'fraid so." Alphys began to wring her hands again. Undyne stared at the ground and clenched her fists.

"I have to go." she stated abruptly. Swiftly, she turned and paced out the door, leaving no time for anyone to protest. Alphys stared.

"welp. that's that i suppose." Sans sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Hopefully Undyne's human hunting spree was over now.

* * *

Undyne marched through the caves of Waterfall, trying with little success to keep her mind off Sans' words. She was just doing her job. She never actually killed either of the little brats. So why was she feeling guilty all of a sudden?

The woman angrily shook her head as she marched into the cavern containing her home just to stop short.

...Papyrus?

"GREETINGS UNDYNE! I AM HERE FOR MY COOKING LESSON!" Papyrus exclaimed, almost jumping up and down. Undyne stared for a moment before shaking herself.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that." she glanced away, mildly embarrassed, then grinned. "Ready for your extra private, one-on-one training?"

"YOU BET I AM!" the tall skeleton replied, then added, "AND I BROUGHT A FRIEND!" He stepped to the side, revealing a short, messy haired little girl. Undyne grinned even wider.

"Hi, I don't believe we've..." she started, then stopped, realizing who it was. The little girl stared up at Undyne, smiling nervously up at her. Papyrus seemed oblivious to the tension, and Undyne felt her eye twitch.

"Why don't. You two. Come in." the fish woman offered, trying to push down the rising bile in her throat. She stepped by Papyrus and the human to unlock the door, pacing quickly into her house. Papyrus darted in right behind her, a spring in his step, and the human walked stiffly inside.

"HERE, UNDYNE!" Papyrus started, positively brimming with giddiness, "MY FRIEND BROUGHT A GIFT FOR YOU ON THEIR OWN!" He held out a golden bone with a little red bow on it, identical to the ones he always gave her. She smiled politely.

"Uh, thanks." she managed, mechanically taking it from him, "I'll, uh, put it with the others." She trudged awkwardly over to a drawer and pulled it out, seeing all the other 'gifts'. The things that skeleton would do to impress her... Undyne assumed her previous position and forced her lips to turn upwards.

"So are we ready to start?" she questioned, forcing her gaze to remain on Papyrus. The skeleton grinned.

"WHOOPSY DOOPSY!" he exclaimed exaggeratedly, "I JUST REMEMBERED! I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!" Undyne stared at him disbelievingly. He wasn't seriously doing this, was he? "YOU TWO HAVE FUN!" The skeleton then ran over to Undyne's window and jumped through it head first. Both she and the human stared after him for a minute before turning back to each other, the human's face was set in nervous determination. Undyne glared.

"So why are YOU here?" she questioned, not really caring how she behaved now that Papyrus was gone, "To rub your escape in my face? To try to make me feel bad? IS THAT IT?" The girl quickly shook her head, her nervousness increasing. Undyne cocked her head to the side. "Then why are you here?" The human smiled lightly.

"Friends!" she exclaimed, beaming up at Undyne. The fish woman stared at her in disgust.

"Wait, you think that I'm gonna be friends with you?" the human nodded eagerly, and Undyne fought the urge to facepalm, "Really?! How delightful!" She mocked a friendly, girly tone. "I accept! Let's all frolick in the fields of friendship! ... NOT!" The human's face fell. "Why would I EVER be friends with YOU!? If you weren't my houseguest, I'd beat you up right now!" The girl scowled. Undyne scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams! I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND! Now get out of my house!" The girl stared determinedly at Undyne, and she was starting to wonder if she was gonna have to shove this brat out her front door.

"DANG, WHAT A SHAME." a voice spoke from the window, and Undyne whipped her head toward the sound. Papyrus stood there, looking in. "I THOUGHT UNDYNE COULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU. BUT I GUESS..." he paused, looking directly at the kid. "I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE." The kid stifled a giggle, and Undyne's eyes widened.

"CHLLENGE!? What!? Papyrus, wait a second..!" she exclaimed loudly. The distinct 'Nyeh heh heh!' of a certain skeleton was heard far off, and she huffed. "Darnit! He thinks I can't be friends with YOU!?" She stared menacingly at the kid, who's determined expression held the shadow of a smile. "Fuhuhu! What a joke! I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day!" The fish woman pumped her arms, and the human giggled. Undyne ignored her.

"I'll show him. Listen up, human. We're not just going to be friends. We're going to be BESTIES." She put her hands up to her face. "I'll make you like me so much, you won't be able to think of anyone else!" The kid smiled. "Fuhuhuhu! It's the PERFECT REVENGE!" Undyne linked her hands and closed her eyes in a friendly gesture. "... Why don't you have a seat?"

The girl sat down in a stool, right next to a table. Undyne walked over to the counter and set out several different drink options before approaching the human and smiling graciously.

"All set!" she spoke cheerily, determined to put the kid at ease, "What would you like?" The girl peered over the table at her choices before shifting in her stool to get down. Undyne instinctively threw a spear at the table, eyes widening, stopping the kid in their tracks. "HEY! DON'T GET UP! YOU'RE THE GUEST! SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOURSELF!" she shouted. The human 's jaw dropped, and het head whipped toward the broken table. Her eyes flicked back to Undyne, who suddenly felt stupid. Did she just... break her own table? She cleared her throat and linked her hands again.

"... Um, why don't you just point to what you want?" she suggested, then motioned to the spear lodged in the table, "You can use the spear!" The kid nodded and pulled the weapon from the table with difficulty. She held it in her tiny hands and examined her choices. Then she smiled and pointed to the tea box. "...Tea, huh?" she confirmed, and the kid nodded, "Coming right up!" Undyne walked over to the sink and picked up a pot, then turned to the stove. She put the pot on the burner and turned back to the kid, who was waiting patiently. She looked so innocent, so... comfortable. More so than she should be, given the history between them. Undyne cleared her throat again.

"It'll take a moment for the water to boil." she informed, and the human nodded. The kid's eyes wandered around the room serenely, just taking everything in. Undyne knew she shouldn't be surprised by this. It was normal for a kid to get bored, to let their mind wander. For some reason, until now, she'd never really thought of this human as a kid. They were just a beast. Some wild creature that needed to be slain. But now she could see, she was so young. She was really just like any young monster. Sweat pricked at the fish woman's forehead.

"Okay, it's done!" she exclaimed just a little too cheerily, realizing the water in the pot was at a steady boil. Undyne poured the tea into a little fish cup and placed it on the table. "Here we are!"

"Thank you." the human murmured, and Undyne paused. She nodded absently and sat across from her.

"Careful, it's hot." she warned. The kid nodded and their eyes began to wander again. Undyne tapped her hand against her knee in an increasing tempo before she groaned. "It's not THAT hot! Just drink it already!" The kid nodded and took a sip. She swallowed it quickly and began fanning her mouth. Okay, so maybe it was still a bit hot.

"It's pretty good, right?" Undyne asked, and the kid nodded. The fish lady smiled. "Nothing but the best for my ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS FRIEND!" The kid giggled, and there was about a minute of awkward silence before Undyne thought of something. "Hey... you know... it's kind of strange you chose THAT tea. Golden flower tea..." The kid looked puzzled, so Undyne continued. "That's Asgore's favorite kind." The kid cocked their head, a teeny smile playing at her lips. Undyne smirked slightly.

"Actually, now that I think about it... you kind of remind me of him." Undyne pointed out, then added "You're both TOTAL weenies!" The kid giggled softly, her big, brown eyes staring into Undyne's. The fish woman sighed, closing her eyes.

"Y'know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid. Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore. Emphasis on TRIED." The smile dissipated from the kid's face, replaced by deep interest. She listened intensely. "I couldn't land a single blow on him. And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back! I was so humiliated..." Undyne smiled to herself. "Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy... 'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?' I said yes, and from then on, he trained me." The kid smiled cheerfully.

"One day, during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt... bad. But he was beaming... I had never seen someone more proud to get their butt kicked." Undyne paused, taking a breath, "Anyway, long story short, he kept training me... And now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight... like, uh, Papyrus." The kid smiled fondly at the mention of her skeleton friend. "But, um, to be honest... I don't know if... I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard. Don't tell him I said that!" Undyne added in quickly, and the kid stuck up both their hands.

"He's just... well... I mean, it's not like he's weak. He's actually pretty freaking tough." Undyne explained, and the kid nodded in understanding, looking down. They had probably experienced some of that toughness firsthand, now that Undyne thought about it. They most likely had _some_ sort of battle. "It's just that... he's... he's too innocent and nice! I mean look, he was SUPPOSED to capture you... and he ended up being FRIENDS with you instead!" Undyne paused, taking a steadying breath, "I could _never_ send him into battle. He'd get ripped into smiling little shreds." The kid smiled.

"That's part of why... I started teaching him how to cook, you know? So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life." Undyne finished, staring at the cracked table. She and the human were lost in thought for a moment before Undyne spoke again. "Oh, sorry, I was talking for so long... You're out of tea, aren't you?" The kid glanced down at their empty mug like they hadn't noticed it before. Undyne stood and lifted the cup. "I'll get some more." She paced over to the counter and stopped, remembering.

"Wait a second. Papyrus... his cooking lesson... HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!" Undyne yelled, and the kid's eyes widened in surprise. Undyne's eye narrowed. "And if he's not here to have it... YOU'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM!" Undyne jumped up and landed on the counter, proceeding to run across it and knock everything onto the floor. "That's right." she exclaimed, "NOTHING has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means that if I give you his lesson... WE'LL BECOME CLOSER THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE!" The kid's smile widened, and they tensed slightly as if readying for battle.

"Fuhuhu! Afraid!? We're gonna be best friends!" she exclaimed, jumping over to the kid. Undyne lifted her from her stool, leapt back over to the kitchen counter, and placed her back on her feet.

"Let's start with the sauce!" she started, stomping the ground. Assorted vegetables fell from the ceiling. "Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy!" The kid giggled and stared at the vegetables, concentrating. "Now! Pound them to dust with your fists!" The kid punched the vegetables as hard as she could and managed to knock over a tomato. She bounced on the balls of her feet and looked excitedly back up at Undyne. "YEAH! YEAH! Our hearts are uniting against these healthy ingredients! NOW IT'S MY TURN! NGAHHH!" Undyne exclaimed, punching the ingredients into a pulp. The remains splattered against the table, the wall, and both Undyne and the kid's faces. The kid giggled, wiping sauce from her face. Undyne chuckled.

"Uhh, we'll just scrape this into a bowl later. But for NOW," Undyne stomped again, and this time a pot and a box of noodles fell from the ceiling. "... we add the noodles! Homemade noodles are the best! BUT I JUST BUY STORE BRAND! THEY'RE THE CHEAPEST! NGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She linked her hands. "Just put them in the pot." Grinning, the kid threw the noodles, box and all, into the pot as hard as she possibly could. Undyne grinned as well. "YEAH! I'M INTO IT!" she yelled, then lowered her voice just a little, "Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir... THE BETTER IT IS! Ready? Let's do it!"

The kid began to stir with a wooden spoon, and Undyne pumped her fists. "Stir harder!" she exclaimed, and the kid stirred harder. "HARDER!" she pressed, and the kid moved the spoon even faster. "HARDER! Ugh, let me do it." she decided, moving the kid to the side. A giant, magical spear rammed into the pot several times, denting it badly. The kid stared in awe. Undyne laughed.

"Fuhuhu! That's the stuff! Alright, now for the final step: TURN UP THE HEAT!" Undyne turned to the little knob on the stove. "Let the stovetop symbolize your passion! Let your hopes and dreams turn into a burning fire!" The kid nodded, determination clear on her face. "READY!? Don't hold anything back!" The kid began to turn the little dial to the right slowly, stopping when she'd made about a half circle. "Hotter!" Undyne prodded, and they turned it so it'd made a full circle, then two. The flames licked the side of the bent pot, and the kid glanced nervously at Undyne. "HOTTER, DARNIT!" she yelled, and the kid turned the heat up even hotter. The flames had completely swallowed the pot at this point, and the kid looked a little scared. "HOTTER!" Undyne exclaimed, and the kid turned up the knob even more. The flames from the stove reached up higher than Undyne, starting to lick the ceiling. Undyne's eye widened. "Wait, that's too-" The ceiling caught fire, and the house was filled with a fiery light. Random sections of the wall were on fire, and the kid stared wide-eyed at it all.

"Ah. Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking." Undyne murmured, and the kid glanced at her. They both just stared at the flame for a moment before Undyne turned to the kid, faking a cheerful expression. "So what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?" she sighed and looked down, "...Oh, who am I kidding. I really screwed this up, didn't I?" The kid stared up at her with those big, sad eyes, and she looked away again. "I can't force you to like me, human. Some people just don't get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me. And if we can't be friends..." she trailed off, refusing to look at the kid.

"That's okay." Undyne murmured sadly, and she could feel the kid's sad, pleading stare trained on her. She continued. "Because, if we're not friends, IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!" Undyne and the kid's souls were both pulled into battle, and everything turned black and white. The kid stared pleadingly.

"I've been defeated... my house is in shambles... I even failed to befriend you." Undyne murmured, then looked up, "That's it. I don't care if you're my guest anymore. One final rematch! All out on both sides! IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!" the kid stared determinedly, and Undyne grit her teeth. "NOW COME ON! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT! NGAHHHH!" Undyne stared the human down, and they took a deep breath. Little orange boxes appeared around the kid, and they selected one. Then they selected a piece of white text. The fish warrior had no idea what that would do, but she was going to let the kid have the first move if it killed her.

The kid's face became even more determined, somehow, and she swung at Undyne with all her force. Undyne braced herself, then felt the impact of the human's blow.

She only lost 1 HoPe.

"What." she stated, baffled, "That's the best you can manage? Even attacking at full force... you just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?" The kid smiled brightly, still determined. Undyne smiled slightly. "Heh. You know what?" The spear in the woman's hands dissipated, and she stood up straight. "I don't actually want to hurt you either. At first, I hated your stupid saccharine shtick, but...the way you hit me right now, it... reminded me of someone I used to train with." she looked into the distance, and a small smile played at her lips, "Now I know you aren't just some wimpy loser." She grinened as wide as she possibly could, "You're a wimpy loser with a big heart! Just like him..." Undyne looked down again, the smile gone

"Listen, human. It seems that you and Asgore are fated to fight. But knowing him... he probably doesn't want to." The kid nodded, tilting her head slightly, "Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home. Eventually, some mean human will fall down here... and I'll take THEIR soul instead. That makes sense, right? Fuhuhu." she grinned slightly, then turned serious, "Oh, and if you DO hurt Asgore... I'll take the human souls... cross the barrier... and beat the hell out of you!" she grinned widely, and the kid giggled, "That's what friends are for, right? Fuhuhu! Now let's get the hell out of this flaming house!" Undyne and the kid quickly ran out of the house. They watched the fire for a little while.

"Sorry." the kid murmurs after a few silent minutes, and Undyne turned to her. There were tears in her eyes.

"About what?" Undyne questioned, astonished, "You didn't do anything. This whole incident was about 95% my fault, and the other 5% was Papyrus for bringing you here. You didn't do anything wrong." She smiled gently at the kid, who sniffled and rubbed an eye with her sleeve. Undyne sighed. "Actually, I'm really sorry." The kid stared, puzzled.

"Why?" she questioned, and Undyne sighed.

"I really messed up. I was just trying to do my job, and I ended up hurting someone I... care about." The kid nodded, then looked uncomfortable for a minute.

"... Hope?" she finally questioned, and Undyne turned.

"You mean the other human?" Undyne confirmed, and the kid nodded. Undyne sighed, "Don't worry, I didn't hurt her. Sans came in and saved her butt before I did anything I would regret." The kid smiled, seeming happier. "Just so you know, I'm pretty sure it goes without saying that I'm not gonna lay a finger on either of you from now on." The girl nodded, then turned back to the bonfire. Undyne stare for a moment, suddenly having the strangest urge to hug this kid. She decided against it and punched her in the arm.

"Well, see ya later punk!" she exclaimed, and the kid waved at Undyne as she sprinted off to Papyrus' house.

* * *

(A/N Heeey everyone. Sorry for the super long chapter. Well, it's not actually that long, but it's long for me. I wanted to make the scene with Undyne and Frisk decently close to the game, which ended up creating a long hour filled with digging for dialogue for me. Hurray.

I'm sorry if the first part of this chapter feels a bit rushed. I didn't want to push this chapter's length too much, so there wasn't much lolly gagging. And I know, this chapter is completely devoid of Hope. Her side of the story is honestly the most interesting for me, though I'm not really sure what you people think. I only really get reviews from the same few people, so I really have no idea... But if you were missing Hopw this chapter, don't worry. This was kind of a one-off for me.

Anyway, I hope (haaaaa...) you people like reading this story as much as I like writing it. Please favorite, follow, and review (review is preferable), and happy reading!)


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 _I sat on my bed, gazing out the window into the beautiful night sky. Stars were sprinkled here and there, twinkling their greetings to anyone who bothered to listen. A small sigh escaped me. Even in such an ugly, pain-filled world, there never failed to be a subtle hint of beauty. You just needed to persevere to find it._

 _Part of me was tempted to open the window and climb onto the roof, like I used to, but then I thought better. The deadlock on my window had just been removed a few weeks ago. I really didn't want to prove myself untrustworthy and get it put back on. Those five years with it on had dragged on._

 _The sound of the door opening greeted my ears, startling me out of my thoughts. I heard the heavy, quick steps of my Dad, then the slower, lighter ones of my Mom. Then there was a third person._

 _Wait... a third? Mom and Dad never had guests, for... obvious reasons._

 _The third person had light, tentative footsteps, like that of a young child. I strained my ears, puzzled, before I slid from my perch. I padded over to the door, carefully opening and closing it behind me. I quickly minced down the stairs, skidding less than gracefully into the kitchen. A surprising image greeted my eyes._

 _Mom and Dad stood on each side of a small girl. She stared at the ground, her brown, shoulder-length hair hanging in her face, her tiny hands were clasped in front of her. Mom and Dad were arguing._

 _"Do we really have to do this?" Dad questioned, sounding skeptical, "I mean, another kid in the house? Do you have any idea how big of a hassle this is going to be?" My eyes widened, and I turned to Mom. She didn't seem to notice me._

 _"Yes, we have to do this!" she snapped, "I think our neighbors are starting to suspect things. Do you really want child services investigating us?" I felt my eyes widen even further, my mouth slightly agape. The little girl shrunk in on herself._

 _"Fine," Dad huffed, glaring at Mom, "but I'm not dealing with this."_

 _"Fine then." Mom retorted, "Don't." The girl looked up at me and stared for a moment. My eyebrows furrowed, my hands clenching. They_ dare _involve a_ little girl _in a matter like this?! Even worse, they state their lack of care for her without such calmness, such disregard. I paced up to the girl, stepping right in between Mom and Dad._

 _"Oh, hey there." I greeted, crouching down. Dad's glare burned into the back of my skull, and Mom gasped quietly. "You want to go up to my room while the adults talk?" Surprise flashed on the girl's face, then replaced by nervousness. She wrung her hands, then nodding shyly. I beamed._

 _"Great! Here, you can come with me." I stood up straight, still ignoring the adults on either side, and offered my hand. The girl accepted tentatively, glancing up at my parents. I guided her up the stairs held open my door for her to walk through. She shuffled inside, glancing up at me. I put on my best reassuring smile._

 _"Don't worry about Mom and Dad. They don't know what they're talking about." I assured the girl, who still looked nervous. My eyebrows furrowed again and I knelt in front of her._

 _"Hey." I spoke, my tone soft. She looked up from the floor. Her large, brown eyes stared into mine, begging for reassurance. A sad smile formed on my lips. "It's okay. You don't need to be scared." I paused, staring into those innocent eyes. "What's your name?" She looked to the side._

 _"Frisk." she mumbled. I smiled._

 _"Hi Frisk. I'm Hope." I replied, and she looked up at me again. "I **hope** we can become good friends." Frisk giggled softly. I searched her face, wondering if she was always like this. For some reason, I felt protective of her. I felt like it was my responsibility to protect her. To make her happy._

 _Heh. That didn't seem like it'd be any easy task. But I guess I'd just have to persevere._

 _It is what I'm good at._

* * *

The first thing she saw was sunshine.

Hope sat up and examined her surroundings. She was sitting in a field of lush, green grass, a cloudless blue sky stretching for miles above her. A bush with pretty purple flowers sat in front of her, the only hinderence in the otherwise endless green.

Sighing happily, Hope climbed to her feet. She had really missed the sun. There was no way this could be real, she knew, but it certainly was a nice dream. Hope inhaled deeply, relishing the sweetness of the air aboveground.

"Hello." a familiar voice greeted from behind, and Hope turned. A pale girl stood, smiling lightly. She looked to be about a year younger than Hope, standing about four inches shorter. Purple, circular glasses lay over her bluish-purple eyes, and her straight black hair was neatly cropped about two inches past her shoulders with similarly styled bangs. She wore a simple white dress with a pleated skirt and a jean jacket. Black flats adorned her feet.

"Are... are you-?" Hope started, then trailed off uncertainly.

"Yes, I am the voice in your head, if that's what you were asking." the girl answered, her smile understanding, "I know this must be kind of weird for you. It is for me. Heh..." She looked to the side, grabbing her arm. Hope smiled.

"Heh, yeah. The people in my head don't normally... appear in my dreams." she replied, and the girl's smile saddened.

"No. I suppose not." she murmured absently, her smile vanishing. She closed her eyes for a moment before looking up, a slight smile on her face.

"I'm sure you're wondering... well, how." she started, and Hope nodded, "Well... I'm not really sure. I just kind of... appeared here when you woke up on the bed of flowers." Her smile was gone now, replaced by thoughtfulness.

"I... was very confused, to say the least. The last thing I had remembered was... exhaustion." she tried to explain, "I guess I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was a presence inside your mind with a shadow for a body." Hope tilted her head.

"You were... a human?" The girl nodded.

"Yeah. I have the soul to prove it." she replied, then tried to summon her soul. An empty outline of a heart appeared in her hand, and she stared at it blankly.

"That's... not... normal..." the girl murmured, staring blankly at the empty soul in front of her. Her hand began to tremble, and horror crept into her gaze. "N-No..."

"What?" Hope asked. The girl looked terrified and shocked, and she slowly raised a hand to her face. The soul floated in front of her, oddly empty.

"I'm dead." she whispered, her voice hardly audible. Hope's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" she asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"What do _you_ mean? Isn't it obvious?" the girl retorted, anger clenching her voice like a tight fist, "I don't have a soul! There's only one reason for that, and it doesn't take an Einstein to figure it out!" a sob escaped her, and she seemed to have trouble standing.

"I'm... I'm..." she started again, unable to continue. The girl fell onto her knees. "M-My fami-ly... my f-f-friends..." Her voice gave way to sobs and she slipped onto her hip. Tears streamed down her face, and sobs wracked her thin form. She hugged herself tightly with one arm, the other covering her mouth.

Hope stared, feeling helpless. This girl was dead. She was _dead._ There was nothing she, or anyone else, could do. And now, instead of simply ceasing to exist like she was supposed to do, she was doomed to live inside someone else's head. Hope didn't know what to do.

So she did the only thing she could.

She slowly approached the sobbing girl and sat next to her. Following her first instinct, Hope enveloped her in a tight embrace. The girl's sobs grew quieter and slower until finally, they stopped. She stared at Hope, tears still in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." she murmured, "I'm not usually one to cry. I just... it..." She buried her head in her hands. "It's a lot to take in. A lot of... life altering things. Literally." she added, and Hope smiled lightly.

"I'm..." Hope hesitated, "I'm sorry too." The girl looked up.

"What for?"

"For shutting you out." Hope explained, and the girl listened, "I was mad, I was scared, and I took it out on you. I... I shoved you as deep into the black abyss as you could get and left you there. I took away your only voice. I'm so, so sorry..."

"Hope." the girl said, far more firmly than Hope expected, "It's okay. You were just scared, and a voice inside your head talking to you and making you feel insane wasn't helping anything. Things worked out, and that's what matters." Hope nodded, and the girl smiled. "We good now?"

"Yeah." Hope smiled back, "We're good." Then Hope thought of something.

"Hey, uh, what's your name?" she questioned, and the girl looked surprised for a second.

"Oh, my name is Maeko." she replied, then added, "And no, I'm not Japanese. My parents just liked the name. It means 'truth child'." Hope grinned.

"You sure you're not Japanese?" she questioned slyly, "'Cause you look like you walked right out of an anime."

"No I don't!"

"Yea you do."

Maeko glanced down at herself and scowled. "No I don't!" Hope grinned mischievously.

"But you've got the right hair, the right face shape, the big, anime eyes-"

"Okay, look, just because my eyes are a unique color does not mean I have to be a cartoon character!" Maeko protested, and Hope giggled.

"But-"

"You know, I could leave you right now if I wanted to." Maeko threatened, and Hope quirked an eyebrow.

"No you can't." Maeko rolled her eyes.

"Okay, well, maybe not, but I could stop talking to you." she crossed her arms triumphantly, and it was Hope's turn to roll her eyes.

"Okay then. You do that." Both girls stared each other down for a minute before bursting into laughter. Suddenly, everything started fading. Hope glanced around, startled. "What was that...?"

"I think you're waking up." Maeko replied, and Hope turned to her.

"But I don't want to wake up!" she exclaimed, clinging to the other girl, "I want to keep talking to you." Maeko smiled.

"You know, I kinda live in your head now." she replied, and Hope pulled back, "We can talk whenever the heck we feel like it." Hope's cheeks heated, suddenly feeling stupid.

"Oh." Both girls laughed, and the world turned gray. They waved to each other before everything faded to white.

* * *

Hope woke slowly, taking time to stretch her limbs before her eyes pulled open. She was still laying against the statue.

'You there?' she called into her mind, and felt a presence rustling.

 _Yup,_ Maeko replied, waving a little shadow hand in the back of Hope's mind, _Man, it really sucks to have a non-physical form again._ Hope giggled.

'Yea, that would stink.'

Hope looked up and saw Sans sleeping. Standing up.

 _What._ Maeko voiced her thoughts for her.

'Dang. I guess he must be **bone** tired.' Hope punned, and Maeko groaned. Sans opened his eyes as Hope snickered.

"Hey lazy **bones**." Hope greeted, winking, "How tired were you to be able to fall asleep standing up?" Sans smirked.

'I'll bet you ten dollars he's gonna pun back.'

 _Hope..._

"heh. I dunno. guess I was **bone** tired." he replied, and Hope grinned.

'Called it!'

 _Oh, come on! That was the same lame pun you just made._ Maeko complained.

"Eh, don't worry, I'll throw you a **bone**." Hope punned in reply, and Sans rose to the challenge.

" **t** **ibia** honest, I figured you'd have a **bone** to pick with me." He winked and shrugged his shoulders.

 _Don't you dare._ Hope grinned even wider.

"Nah, I found it quite **humerus**."

 _Oh my God Hope._

"good, 'cause ulna-ever be able to stop."

 _Oh my God Sans._

"Well, **vertebrae** be careful not to let your brother catch you resting your **bones** like that."

 _Stop._

"nah, he can **see right through me**. besides, he can't **get under my skin**."

"Well, I suppose he already kinda thinks you're a **numbskull**."

 _NNNNRRRRGGGGHHHHH!_ Hope snickered.

'Sorry. I had to.'

 _I'm gonna kill you both._

'I thought you had a non-physical form.'

 _Details aren't important._

Sans' grin widened. "nice punning, kid." he complimented her, and her grin widened.

"Thank you. I try." she replied, and Sans hehed. He grinned thoughtfully for a moment.

"you seem to be feeling better." he pointed out, and Hope smiled lightly.

"Yeah, I am." she answered, and Sans' eye sockets went dark for a second. Hope jumped. Sans' pupils flicked back into view, and he seemed satisfied.

"Hey, Sans?" Hope started, remembering something, "How'd it go... with Undyne?" Sans' grin shrunk.

"It went fine." he said, seeming a bit unsure, "I don't think she'll be bothering you again." Hope let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and sagged in relief. Things were going okay

 _What, did you think things weren't going to work out?_ Maeko questioned, noticing Hope's relief.

'Well, considering all that's happened...' Hope thought, frowning slightly.

 _Ah. Well, that can't really be helped, I guess._ Hope could see a shadowy figure shrugging behind her eyelids. Sans noticed her expression.

"you alright, kid?" he questioned, startling her from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she replied, shrugging it off. Sans nodded, not seeming convinced.

 _Um, maybe you should try to keep your facial expressions while talking to me in check. Y'know, 'cause I kinda only exist in your mind and all..._

'Yeah, that'd probably be best.' Hope nodded internally, trying to keep her expression neutral. Sans stared at her for a moment before shrugging.

"well, what do you want to do now?" Sans questioned, and Hope considered for a moment.

'Would it be smart to keep moving?' she asked Maeko, and she thought for a moment.

 _Yeah. Hopefully you'll have minimal problems, as long as Undyne doesn't get a wild hair and decide to attack you again._ Maeko answered, and Hope held back a nod.

"Let's get going." Hope answered Sans, and he nodded. The skeleton pulled a touchscreen phone from his pocket.

"What?" Hope said disbelievingly, and Sans turned to her. "How do you guys have smart phones?"

"what do you mean?" Sans replied.

 _Hope, be real. They're just as smart as humans, and they have scientists who can do magic and-_

'You have a problem.'

 _I would hardly call having more brains than you a problem._

"Um... never mind." Hope muttered, her question answered for her, "I didn't think you guys would be as advanced as humans, being underground and all, but I guess I was wrong." Sans quirked a skeletal eyebrow.

"okay then..." he replied absently, tapping the touchscreen with bony fingers. He clicked on something and game show audio started playing. An oddly tinny yet charismatic voice spoke enthusiastically. Sans' eye sockets widened, his grin shrinking.

"um, kid?" he addressed, and Hope furrowed her eyebrows, "you need to see this."


	13. Chapter 13

"OHHHH YES!" A tinny yet enthusiastic voice spoke through the sudden suspenseful darkness, "WELCOME BEAUTIES..." A spotlight appeared, revealing a boxy robot balanced on a single wheel, a yellow screen on his face. "...TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!"

Frisk stood across from Alphys in the lab, staring at Mettaton, who had apparently just burst through the wall. Things had just gotten more... interesting than she expected. A giant, lit sign reading 'GAME SHOW' lowered from the ceiling, along with two neon disco balls. Colored lights swirled around the room.

"OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW!" Mettaton exclaimed, raising his left hand into the air, "EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANT!" He clapped against his microphone, and a clap track sounded.

"NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS?" Mettaton asked Frisk, and she nodded, "NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE." He held up a single finger, a one appearing on his screen. "ANSWER CORRECTLY... OR YOU DIE!" Mettaton's screen flashed yellow and red, and Frisk's surroundings turned black and white.

 _Mettaton attacks!_

A game show podium was suddenly placed in front of Frisk, and she suppressed a grin at the pure randomness of her situation. A spontaneous quiz show sounded like a lot of fun. She always did love a game. Frisk chose ACT, then decided to Check Mettaton.

 _METTATON 10 ATK 999 DEF. His metal body renders him invulnerable to attack._

"LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE!" Mettaton announced, and words appeared on a screen that had just materialized in front of Frisk. Mettaton read it out loud.

"WHAT IS THE PRIZE FOR ANSWERING CORRECTLY?" Frisk glanced down at her options. There were four; A, money, B, mercy, C, new car, or D, more questions. Frisk glancedt Alphys, unsure of what to choose. She held up a little D with her fingers, and Frisk glanced back at the letters. A little red timer counted down in front of her. She pressed D. The D option turned green, all the other letters turning yellow, and a little tune played.

"RIGHT! SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT!" Mettaton exclaimed, and Frisk felt herself grin. This was fun.

 _The quiz show continues._

Not really knowing what else to do, Frisk looked at her two ACT choices again, Cry and Check. She decided to Check him again. Crying didn't seem like the best solution, and she didn't really think she could fake tears. Frisk read the same statistic again and turned her attention back to Mettaton.

"HERE'S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE!" Mettaton spoke charismatically, wheeling away from the screen so he could read it, "WHAT'S THE KING'S FULL NAME?" Frisk glanced down at her options and giggled, covering her mouth. Her choices were Lord Fluffybuns, Fuzzy Pushover, Asgore Dreemurr, or Dr. Friendship. She immediately clicked Asgore Dreemurr, and the correct answer tune played again. "CORRECT! WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER!" Mettaton praised.

 _The quiz show continues._

The four orange options appeared before her again, and Frisk decided to try Sparing the robot this time. Nothing happened.

"ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. LET'S TALK ABOUT ME!" Mettaton announced, and Frisk giggled. "WHAT ARE ROBOTS MADE OF?" Frisk glanced down at her options looked to Alphys, who made a B with her claws. Frisk pressed B. "TOO EASY FOR YOU HUH?" Mettaton questioned as the correct answer ding sounded, and Frisk smioed shyly. Alphys wrung her hands.

 _The quiz show continues._

Frisk Spared Mettaton again, and he continued. "HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!" He rolled to the side, and Frisk gaped at the screen.

"TWO TRAINS, TRAIN A AND TRAIN B, SIMULTANIOUSLY DEPART STATION A AND STATION B. SATTION A AND STATION B ARE 2525 MILES APART FROM EACH OTHER. TRAIN A IS MOVING AT 124.7 MPH TOWARDS STATION B, AND TRAIN B IS MOVING AT 253.5 MPH TOWARDS STATION A. IF BOTH TRAINS DEPARTED AT 10:00AM AND IT IS NOW 10:00, HOW MUCH LONGER WILL UNTIL BOTH TRAINS PASS EACH OTHER?" Frisk's eyes widened and she glanced at Alphys, who was frantically holding up a D. Frisk pressed D, 32.058 minutes, and was relieved to hear the correct answer tune. How Alphys knew that she would never know.

"WONDERFUL! I'm ASTOUNDED, FOLKS!" Mettaton cheered, and Frisk's grin widened.

 _The quiz show continues._

Frisk sighed impatieny at the repetitive messege, starting to wonder if everyone else could hear is too. Was this normal in the Underground, or...?

She shrugged and Spared Mettaton again.

"DON'T 'COUNT' ON YOUR VICTORY..." Mettaton warned, "HOW MANY FLIES ARE IN THIS JAR?" A small jar appeared on the screen, and what looked like at least a few dozen bugs flying around inside. Frisk stared down at her options, 54, 53, 55, and 52. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced up at Alphys, who held up an awkward A. Frisk pressed the button.

"CORRECT! YOU'RE SO LUCKY TODAY!" Mettaton praised, and Frisk smiled. She supposed she was lucky to have Alphys.

 _The quiz show continues._

Spare.

"LET'S PLAY A MEMORY GAME!" Mettaton exclaimed, and an image of half a Froggit's face appeared onscreen. "WHAT MONSTER IS THIS?" Frisk was just reaching out to A, Froggit, when Alphys frantically waving caught her eye. She glanced up, and Alphys made a D with her hands. Frisk's eyebrows furrowed, but pressed D, Mettaton. To her surprise, the correct answer tune played, and Alphys gave her a thumbs up. "I'M SO FLATTERED YOU REMEMBERED!" The robot cheered, and the image widened to reveal Mettaton wearing a shirt with a Froggit on it. Frisk pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggle.

 _The quiz show continues._

"BIT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE?" the robot questioned, and Frisk prepared herself, "WOULD YOU SMOOCH A GHOST?" Eyes widening, Frisk examined her options. They were Heck Yeah, Heck Yeah, Heck Yeah, and Heck Yeah. Alphys just narrowed her eyes at Mettaton, and Frisk noticed the timer counting up instead of down. Frisk grinned and pressed two at once.

"GREAT ANSWER! I LOVE IT!" Mettaton exclaimed, and Frisk giggled again. Alphys rolled her eyes and smiled nervously.

 _The quiz show continues._

"HERE'S A SIMPLE ONE. HOW MANY LETTERS ARE IN THE NAME METTATONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN-" More Ns kept being added to the name, and Frisk's eyes widened. All of the letter answers had continuously growing numbers. She looked to Alphys. The scientist thought for a moment and formed a C, Frisk knowing better than to question it.

"OF COURSE THAT WAS EASY FOR YOU!" Mettaton praised again, almost sounding bitter, and Alphys brightened just a little.

 _The quiz show continues._

Frisk decided to just start tuning out the voice as she pressed Spare.

"TIME TO BREAK OUT THE BIG GUNS!" the robotic game show host exclaimed somewhat ominously. Frisk stared determinedly. "IN THE DATING SIMULATION VIDEO GAME 'MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE' WHAT IS MEW MEW'S FAVORITE FOOD?" he asked, and Frisk turned to Alphys. The scientist's eyes widened, and she waved her hand in the air.

"OH! OH! I KNOW THIS ONE!" she burst out, and Frisk smiled at her enthusiasm, "IT'S SNAIL ICE CREAM! IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER EVERYONE GOES TO THE PARLOR AND SHE BUYS ICE CREAM FOR ALL OF HER FRIENDS! BUT IT'S SNAIL FLAVORED AND SHE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTS IT! IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE GAME BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY POWERFUL message about friendship and-" She stopped suddenly, realizing Mettaton was staring at her. If he had a head, he would've been shaking it.

"ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS." he spoke as if to a naughty child, and Alphys' eyes widened, "YOU AREN'T HELPING OUR CONTESTANT, ARE YOU?" he questioned, and she shook her head sheepishly. Mettaton tsked. "OOOOOOH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. I'LL ASK A QUESTION... YOU'L BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO." Alphys covered her mouth and turned bright red, her eyes widening.

"WHO DOES DR. ALPHYS HAVE A CRUSH ON?" Frisk raised her eyebrows and held back laughter. Alphys looked more embarrassed than anyone she'd ever seen, waving her hands frantically at Frisk to stop. She glanced at my options, not really sure she knew this one. There was A, Undyne, B, Asgore, C, the human, and D, don't know. For some reason, Undyne caught Frisk's eye, and she smiled apologetically at Aphys as she answered. Mettaton laughed.

"SEE ALPHYS? I TOLD YOU IT WAS OBVIOUS. EVEN THE HUMAN FIGURED IT OUT." Mettaton gloated, and Alphys flushed an even brighter red. Her hands covered her face. "YES, SHE SCRAWLS HER NAME IN THE MARGINS OF HER NOTES. SHE NAMES PROGRAMMING VARIABLES AFTER HER. SHE EVEN WRITES STORIES OF THEM TOGETHER... SHARING A DOMESTIC LIFE." Mettaton continued, a humiliated Alphys trembling in the corner. Frisk suddenly felt awful. "PROBABILITY OF CRUSH: 101 PERCENT. MARGIN OF ERROR: 1 PERCENT." Alphys peeked out her fingers at Frisk, who cringed slightly.

"WELL, WELL, WELL. WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU..." Mettaton started, "THE SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION. WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS. BUT..." Alphys stared nervously for a moment as he paused, uneasiness churning within Frisk as well, "THIS WAS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE! NEXT UP, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE! MORE BLOODSHED! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS!" Mettaton waved to an unseen audience before his limbs disappeared back inside his body. A jet of fire exploded beneath him, and he rocketed through the ceiling and out of sight. Frisk stared after him. Somehow, she knew she was going to see him again.

* * *

Hope gawked at the screen as it went dark. Maeko burst out laughing, Hope deciding to ignore her.

"What. Was. That." she managed, still staring at the screen. Sans shrugged.

"a game show, I guess." he replied, and Hope turned to him.

"I'll just take that as an 'I don't know'." she muttered, and Sans' grin widened slightly.

"welp, frisk looked like she had a **metta-ton** of fun." Sans winked, and Hope groaned. Maeko stopped laughing immediately, and Hope could feel her glaring.

"Sans, is this really the time for puns?"

"it is always the time for puns." Hope rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Sorry, I just don't think my sister's life is a **game show**." she countered, and Maeko huffed.

 _I cannot believe you right now._

"nice." Sans complimented, and Hope grinned.

"Thank you. I try." she replied, false cockiness seeping into her voice. Sans lifted his imaginary skeletal eyebrows. A side smile formed on Hope's lips, fading quickly.

"Do you think he'll cause any more trouble?" she asked quietly, and Sans turned to her. The smile had disappeared from his eyes, though a false grin still remained on his face.

"probably. it'll most likely just be another weird little thing like this, though. mettaton's a tv star around here, and he's known for being overly dramatic." the skeleton replied, and Hope nodded.

"Is it okay if we go now?" she questioned, and Sans shrugged.

"don't see why not." he answered, and Hope held out her hand, which he took. They were both teleported into Alphys' lab.

The scientist sat watching a screen while holding a phone, typing something hurriedly. She didn't even seem to have noticed Sans and Hope appear.

"heya." Sans greeted, and Alphys jumped out f her chair, dropping her the device in her hands. Her scales turned pink as she scrambled to get it.

"Oh, h-hi Sans." she replied, somewhat flustered, "Did you need something?"

 _Uh, yeah, I'd like a double cheeseburger and some fries._

"well, the kid and I just watched the newest episode of mettaton's tv show." he answered, and Alphys flushed a deeper pink.

"R-right... I forgot about that..." she mumbled, then cleared her throat, "Frisk just left, if that's what you wanted to know." Alphys motioned to a door behind them, and Hope suddenly itched to run to it. Sans nodded.

"Okay then. Thank you Alphys." Hope nodded to the dinosaur lady in front of her and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Alphys called after her, and Hope slowly turned back, "D-don't go just yet. I have s-some things to give you." Hope's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she nodded.

 _What, did you really think that one was gonna work?_ Maeko questioned.

'Not really, but hey, might as well give it a shot.' she replied, almost shrugging.

"What'd you want to give me?" she asked out loud.

"Oh, u-um, I figured you'd want a phone so you could contact us. You know, i-in case you ran into any trouble." the scientist replied. Hope nodded slowly. Alphys glanced at Sans, pleading with her eyes, and he got the message.

"alright kid, i'll be in back with alphys. stay here." Sans told Hope, and she just stared after him.

 _Oooooooookaaaaaayyy..._ Maeko said exaggeratedly as they stepped onto the up escalator, _I'm not the only one that found that suspicious, right?_

'Nope.' Hope replied, her eyes narrowing, 'What do you think they're doing?'

 _Oh, you know,_ Maeko started nonchalantly, _just talking about all your problems behind your back and pretending you don't notice._ Hope smiled thoughtfully.

'That's a change from what I'm used to. Everyone always told me everything to my face.'

 _Seriously?_ Maeko questioned, surprised, _No kids talking behind your back in school? No backstabbing?_ Hope thought for a moment.

'Well, people talked behind my back at school sometimes,' she answered carefully, 'but I didn't have many friends. Just two, really, and I didn't talk to them much.' She paused for a moment, and she sensed Maeko waiting for her to elaborate. 'People didn't really care about me. Teachers liked me because I was quiet and got good grades, and kids ignored me for those very reasons. And my parents...' She stopped.

'Well.' Maeko nodded awkwardly with her shadow head.

 _Oh. Right._ Maeko said, an air of uncomfortableness about her. Hope smiled lightly.

'Heh, yeah. I'm sure you... know about that.'

 _Well, yeah. I mean, we kinda share dreams and all._

'We do?'

 _Yeah._ Maeko paused, _I kinda live in your mind. You only really have privacy in your thoughts. Though..._ she smirked, thinking, _I guess I **could** read your thoughts if I really wanted to..._

'Don't you dare.' Hope warned, and Maeko snickered. Suddenly, both girls heard several loud drilling noises and some hammering. The whole lab shook.

 _What the hell is that?_ Maeko questioned, alarmed.

'Language.'

 _Hope, you're thirteen._

'So?'

 _How have you been to middle school and not started swearing?_

'Self control.' Maeko rolled her invisible eyes, 'And besides, aren't you younger than me?'

 _Age doesn't matter when you're a ghost._ she replied, rolling her eyes again. Hope smirked again.

'Your eyes are just on a **roll** today, huh?' she punned, feeling Maeko glare.

 _Why._

'Sans understands me.'

 _Bull shi-oot._ Maeko corrected herself, feeling Hope's glare.

'C'mon, we just discussed this.' Hope scolded, and Maeko narrowed her eyes.

 _Yeah, and I just told you how stupid I find that policy._

'That doesn't mean it's bad.' Hope countered.

 _Yeah, it's just a load of... crap._ Maeko finished, taking extra care to change that last word.

'Thank you.'

 _This doesn't change anything._

Sans and Alphys came back down the escalator, Alphys karting a phone and looking just a tad brighter. She shuffled up to Hope and handed her the phone.

"Here. This is yours now." she answered the unspoken question, and Hope looked down at the device in her hand. It was just a simple flip phone, black and bulky, but heavier than she would have expected. Inside it was an old fashioned twelve-keyed pad, along with several buttons with... bizarre features.

 _Okay, jetpack? Why?_ Maeko read one of the buttons, and Hope held back giggles.

'Maybe she's hoping this technology will **take off** one day so we never have to see it again.'

 _Hope, I swear, you better stop this shit right now._

'Language!'

 _Oh, shut up about your fu-_

"Do you know how to use a phone?" Alphys unintentionally cut off Maeko, earning her an invisible glare. Hope had to work to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, I think I got it," she replied, "but I'm not sure about these... extra options." Hope motioned to the miscellaneous buttons above the keypad.

"O-oh, right." Alphys pushed up her glasses and took a look at the phone, "This one," she said, motioning to a button labelled 'DM 1', "is your first Dimensional Box. You can store items in it." Hope nodded, not really sure how on earth she was supposed to fit items into her phone. Alphys motioned to one labelled 'DM 2'. "This is your other Dimensional Box."

Alphys then went on to explain the buttons for a bomb defuser, a key chain (there was a button for that because...?), shooting mode, Underground social network, and, of course, a jet pack. Most of this made about zero sense to Hope, but she nodded along anyway. She pressed the button for her first Dimensional Box, and a floating brown box appeared in front of her.

 _Wait, how does that work?_ Maeko questioned, her invisible eyes wide, _How do they get that box to defy physics like that? And how do they make it just appear out of nowhere? Where is it kept? It has to go somewhere when it's not in use. How-_ Hope started tuning her out about there, pressing the button and making the box disappear. She turned to Sans.

"Can we go now?" she asked, and he shrugged in his signature way.

"sure kid." he replied, then turned to Alphys, "hey alph. we'll be going now." She nodded hurriedly.

"Okay." she nodded again, then turned to Hope, "Hey, be c-careful, alright? I don't have a camera on you, s-so I can't see what you're doing." Hope smiled lightly.

"Don't worry. I'll stick with Sans." she responded, glancing over at the skeleton. His grin widened, and he 'hehed' quietly.

"Okay. G-good luck!" Alphys called as Hope and Sans turned away. Hope smiled back at her.

"bye alph." Sans replied, not looking back.

"Thanks! Bye Alphys!" she called, and Alphys waved until the lab door cut her off from sight.

* * *

(A/N Aw, look! A chapter full of fluff! I love making these. And yes, I did have to add Hope's pet peeve for anyone swearing eventually. I share that preference, even in writing, and I didn't want to create any more intense situations strangely devoid of swearing for no particular reason. Plus, I figured it would make some funny character bonding time.

Anyhoo, yeah, lots of fluff here. I was gonna add a not-so-fluffy scene too, but the chapter was already a bit longer than usual, so I decided to save it for next time. Be warned, next chapter is probably gonna be really intense. Well, that is, unless I change my mind, which I very well might. I uh, I do that a lot. Oh, and I've got another idea for a story, so I'll probably be getting on that soon, which means my updating scheldule might start going haywire. So um, don't be surprised if my posting times start becoming random. But yeah. Like always, please follow, favorite, and review, and happy reading!


	14. Chapter 14

(A/N Hey, just wanted to thank Minerva Arhedes for her awesome review. Well, actually two. I really appreciate the feedback! Also, the feels are gonna get kinda heavy in this chapter, so be warned. I mean, it's not that bad, but there's not much fluff.)

 **Chapter 14**

Sans and Hope turned away from the lab, beginning to make their way down the path in front of them.

 _God, it is hotter than Hades out here._ Maeko complained.

'Yeah. Guess that's a good thing, though, because I might be dead if not for that.' Hope reminded.

Maeko nodded. _Yeah,_ she replied, _Guess being uncomfortably hot is better than being an ice statue._

Hope smiled to herself. It was nice to have someone to talk to. Well, someone else. She glanced over at Sans, who shuffled forward with his hands in his pockets. He seemed worried.

"Something wrong?" Hope questioned. Sans' pupils flicked over to her.

"nah, i'm good." he answered, brushing her off. Hope's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Are you sure? You don't seem 'good'." she pressed.

Sans arched a skeletal eyebrow. "just thinkin', mostly." he insisted.

"Sans," she started, "don't push me away. Please. If you need someone to talk to, I'm right here." Sans glanced over at her, his grin shrinking slightly.

"heh. look who's talking." he countered, and Hope raised her eyebrows, "you've been doing an awful lot of pushing people away the whole time you've been down here." Hope stared at the ground.

"That's... different."

"is it?" Sans questioned, and she looked back up, "is it really different?" Hope sighed and looked back down at the ground.

"I'm not exactly the open... type." she murmured, and Sans quirked an invisible again.

"neither am i."

"Well, it's for good reason!" she snapped, making Sans' eye sockets widen slightly. She sighed again. "Sorry... it's just..." She hesitated for a moment, then decided to press on. She sensed Maeko listening intently. "You're an adult. You can... fend for yourself. I don't have that kind of power or authority. I can't do what I want. When I do, bad things happen." Hope crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

"I'm always expected to act in a certain way. And when I don't, well..." she trailed off, her eyes drifting to the side, "things happened." Sans' skeletal eyebrows furrowed. He studied Hope closely, searching for something.

"what kind of... family did you have?" he asked slowly, as if still thinking. A wisp of hair fell into Hope's face.

"I... I don't want to talk about it." she murmured softly, and Sans nodded. His concerned gaze bore into her very being, it felt, searching for any scrap of information left unguarded.

 _Hope..._ Maeko murmured after long pause, _maybe you... shouldn't push him away. He could help you._ Hope's gaze shifted to the side again.

"heh... i get it." Sans replied, and Hope looked up, "i come from a broken family, and it was... hard. i don't remember anything about my dad, and mom died when i was seven." Hope listened intently, wondering where he was going with this.

"paps was only three when that happened." Sans' pupils flicked to the side, "but... we managed. paps and i were homeless for a long time, and i tried my best to support us while he went to school. i finally managed to get us a place to stay, and things started looking up from there. paps got us both a job in the royal guard, and now we're doing well." His grin widened slightly as he stared at the path in front of him.

"I'm... sorry." Hope murmured, and Sans glanced at her from the corner of his eye socket.

"heh. it's okay kid. it's nothing you could've helped." Hope nodded and looked at the ground, closing her eyes.

"It started... when I was five." she murmured, and Sans turned, "My dad's job was super stressful, and he was coming home more and more aggravated every day. He started yelling a lot, at both my mom and me. That's when..." She paused, taking a deep breath. "things started getting... out of hand. I accidentally broke a plate while putting dishes in the sink, and Dad smacked me in the arm. He's never done that before, and he apologized later, so it was okay of me to think it's never happen again, right?" She sighed.

"The next incident happened a month later, when he grabbed my head after spilling water in his lap. I had a really bad... hand-shaped bruise." Sans' eye sockets widened, and Hope looked back down. "After that, similar things kept on happening. A bruise on my arm for sneaking books into the house from the library because reading 'was a waste of a woman's time'. A sprained wrist for not cooking dinner when Mom was... incapable. A..." Hope stopped for a moment, tears welling in her eyes. "A broken leg for sneaking out of the house. And... and more..." Hope swiped away a tear, refusing to look anywhere but the ground. She didn't want to see Sans' sympathetic gaze.

"And my mom of course didn't do anything to help." she continued, "She was a really good mother until she started drinking. Their marriage started falling apart, and she wanted a divorce. Dad didn't. He threatened to do some... things if she tried to go through with it, and Mom started getting depressed. Habits started, and... never stopped, I guess." Hope took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Well, eventually people started suspecting things, and Mom and Dad knew they needed to do something to cover their tracks. They thought bringing another kid into the house would make them look less suspicious, so they decided take a child from the Foster home. They decided on Frisk because of how quiet she was, then took her home. I was surprised, to say the least, when they suddenly came home one day with another kid. I wasn't sure whether to be happy for me or sad for her." Hope's eyes drifted to the side again.

"Frisk was the first ray of sunshine I'd had in years. I worked harder than I had for anything else to make her feel happy and safe. She was always quiet around my parents, but I managed to coax her out of her shell. After a while, we felt like sisters." Hope smiled, tears threatening to spill over.

"But then, after about six months, Mom and Dad decided to give her back. I did everything I possibly could to convince them otherwise, but they wouldn't listen to me. Frisk was so upset, and I could hardly think straight. So I did something drastic." Hope paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I decided... to run away. Frisk was okay with it, and I had wanted to for the past few years, so we took off the night before Mom and Dad planned on bringing her back to the Foster home.

"We left our neighborhood and walked for quite a while before we came upon Mt Ebott. She was asleep in my arms, and I decided to climb it to get a better view. It was really dark, so I could hardly see a thing. I reached to top and looked around, not really seeing anything. A sudden, really strong breeze hit, and I was knocked forwards a little. I stumbled right into a deep pit. I tried to grab onto something, but with Frisk still in my arms, I couldn't. The next thing I knew... I was in the Ruins and Frisk was nowhere to be seen." Hope finished, and Sans nodded.

"wow. that was... quite the story, kid." Sans replied after a long pause, and Hope laughed weakly.

"Yeah... heh. That actually..." she murmured, sniffing, "that actually felt really good. I've never told anyone that." She smiled absently at the ground.

"well... thanks for telling me, kiddo." the skeleton said, and Hope smiled lightly.

"No, thank you. Bottling it up like that... really wasn't good for me. I needed to tell someone." she assured, and Sans' grin seemed genuine.

"Weeeelllllll, this has been heartwarming!" a voice interrupted from ahead on the path. Hope froze and looked up from the ground slowly, eyes wide. The flower from before sat about ten feet in front of her, his smile wicked.

 _Are you friggin' kidding me right now?!_ Maeko yelled, sounding frustrated. Hope swallowed nervously.

"Buuuuut I think it's time to take the fluff down a notch." The flower looked at the reader and winked. "Yep, she told you correctly. Fluff ends here." Hope's eyebrows furrowed.

'Who's the reader?' she asked Maeko, and she sighed.

 _I came across the reader while I was researching. They're... complicated. I'll explain later._ she replied, and Hope glanced back at the flower. Sans narrowed his eyes.

"who are you? you seem... familiar." Sans questioned, and the flower's grin widened.

"Oh, did I forget to introduce myself? Golly I'm _sorry._ " the flower apologized in a falsely sweet voice, his face losing it's creepy smile in favor of an innocent one, "I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!" Hope nodded slowly, eying him warily. His face lost it's innocent feature.

"what do you want?" Sans questioned, his pupils disappearing. Flowey's grin widened.

"What do I want? He he he..." he turned to Hope, who shrunk in on herself. She sensed Maeko beginning to worry. "I'm just a thrill-seeker. I'm looking for something _new._ And this one," he stared at Hope, "is someone I haven't seen before." His grin became even more twisted than it was, his whole face contorting evilly.

"You know, it's been very interesting to watch you and your sister go on your separate journeys." Flowey addressed Hope, "Frisk seems very determined. She's so determined, in fact, that she now has the ability to Reset." Hope tilted her head. Flowey's teeth (flowers can have teeth?!) grew sharp, and his eyes flashed.

"He he he... if it weren't for her ability to Reset, you would both be long dead." he threatened vaguely, and fear clenched in Hope's stomach like a tight fist. Memories of being crushed by a giant vine flooded back, and she felt her blood run cold. Flowey grinned sadistically at her horrified expression.

"look buddy, i don't know what you're playing at, but i get the feeling it's not pleasant." Sans began, Flowey's eyes narrowing slightly, "if you don't wanna have a bad time, i suggest you back off right now." The flower sneered.

"He he he. Don't worry, I've had more than my share of bad times from you." he grinned. Sans' left eye flared blue. Flowey turned back to Hope, and she shivered involuntarily.

'I'm not the only one freaking out here, right?' Hope murmured into her mind.

 _I hate to admit it but... yeah, no, you're not._ Maeko answered nervously. Sans stepped in between her and Flowey, making the flower giggle evilly.

"Oh please. That won't help anything." Flowey informed, smirking. Vines shot up from the ground around Hope, grabbing her ankles and anchoring her to the ground. She shrieked, and Sans whirled around, eye sockets wide. Little white petals formed a wall shielding Hope from Sans. They shot outwards, forcing Sans to teleport out of range.

 _Crappity crap crap crap CRAP!_ Maeko yelled in her mind, trying really hard not to swear. She tried to free her feet, only succeeding in falling over. More vines wrapped around her arms, securing them to her sides. She screeched again. Sans tried to get teleport to her side, put more petal projectiles forced him to keep dodging. Flowey giggled maniacally, disappearing underground.

 _Sans, DO SOMETHING!_ Maeko cried desperately, panic seeping into her voice.

"Sans!" Hope yelled, and she felt a sudden tug on the vines. Her eyes widened.

Sans launched himself at Hope, grabbing nothing but empty air as she shot suddenly into the earth, Maeko swearing profusely. Hope screamed one last time before the world turned black.

* * *

(A/N Ooooooh snap, things just got real! And yes, I know, a short chapter _and_ a cliffhanger is probably going too far, but I only really have a vague idea of the scene ahead, so... sorry. I have some pretty cool ideas for this story, but unfortunately, most of them are at least a few chapters ahead, so I have to come up with stuff to put in between first.

Sorry for posting this a day late. I was busy all of yesterday and the chapter still needed some editing. Anyway, thank you so much for reading this and all your support. I honestly thought this story would be a lot shorter, so I'm glad it's gone on this long. As always, please follow, favorite, and especially review, and happy reading to you all!


	15. Chapter 15

(A/N Hey there peeps. Just wanted to let you know that the feels get really intense right about now, so maybe try to get somewhere where you can curl up and obsess over fictional worlds. Yeah. Have fun!

Also, thank you Asriel dreemurr and KarmicRetribution for your awesome reviews. I really appreciate it guys!)

 **Chapter 15**

Sans stared at the spot where Hope just was, eye sockets wide. Her terrified screams rang through his head, and his still outstretched hand trembled slightly.

Where could she be? What did Flowey want with her? Was she even still alive? The skeleton placed a hand on his head, trying to figure out what to do next. Hope couldn't Reset if she died, and the kid could hardly defend herself. He needed to find her, and fast.

But how?

Sans took a deep, steadying breath and pulled out his phone, hoping that tracking software Alphys had installed on Hope's phone worked.

* * *

Hope tried to scream, but her mouth filled with dirt. Maeko yelled many profanities within her mind. She was yanked through the dirt at a frightening speed, the soil grating against her skin and causing a similar sensation to rug burn. The vines wrapped around her squeezed too tight, and her lungs screamed for air. Desperate tears streamed from her eyes as she writhed, being immediately wiped away by the passing earth.

As quickly as she had been dragged under the ground, Hope was yanked upwards. She burst from the soil into the room where she first saw Flowey. The vines released her suddenly, and she stumbled forward. Coughs wracked her lungs as her body tried to rid itself of the soil.

She fell onto her hands and knees, her left elbow hitting the ground hard. Every inch of her skin stung and her lungs ached. The lack of oxygen was starting to make her dizzy, and she gasped for breath.

 _That. Was. Awful._ Maeko managed, and Hope nodded. Maeko may not be coughing and sputtering like she currently was, but she felt every bit of it. Chunks of dirt littered the ground in front of her. Just as she was starting to regain her breath, there was a maniacal laugh behind her.

"Ha! Oh, wow, that was even more fun than I thought it would be!" Flowey mocked from behind. Hope squeezed her eyelids shut, tears forcing their way through anyway. Maeko gritted her teeth. "To be honest, I wasn't 100% sure you were going to survive that, but hey, good job! Oh, and FYI, you look terrible." Hope glanced at her arms, which were covered with dirt and grime.

"Why?" she managed to whisper, tears spilling over, "What's the point?" Flowey laughed.

"What do you mean 'What was the point'? You and I both know perfecty well what the point was." he replied, and Hope could almost see his face contorting into its evil grin. "I told you before, and I'll tell you again. It's fun to watch you suffer, so I make you suffer as much as I can." Hope turned to him, feeling horror creep into her expression. Maeko growled.

 _That little fu-_

"Besides, your little sister has the power to undo anything I do to you." he continued, "Whatever I do, whatever the result, it doesn't matter. Nothing matters. When Frisk finds out I hurt someone, _killed_ someone," he emphasized that last word, "she'll Reset. Especially if that someone is _you_." Flowey pointed a vine at Hope, and her eyes widend. What did he plan on doing to her? Would he really kill her again?

"And even better," Flowey laughed, an evil laugh that walked the line of between evil and insane, "your pal _Sans_ won't be able to help you. You're all alone. But that's not even the best part." Hope stiffened, not sure if she really wanted to know what the 'best part' was.

"The best part is... Frisk just made a Save point. From now on, every time she Resets, you'll be right back here. With me." Hope's breathing started to become more labored as the flower laughed yet again, and her vision became blurry. She was stuck here with this crazy little flower who had just _dragged her through the earth_ without so much as one person to get in his way.

 _Peachy._ Maeko finished her thought, casting Flowey a death glare.

"Aw, what's with the face?" Flowey questioned with mock concern, "C'mon, you're not telling me that doesn't sound like _fun_ , are you?" The room spun, and Hope collapsed into a shaking little ball.

"I... I just..." Hope sobbed, and Flowey watched, a curious expression on his face, "I can't take this anymore... I-I-I just want to go home. I don't care... what Dad does. I just want to go home..." Hope whispered that last line, and she covered her face with her hands. Sobs echoed around the cavern.

Flowey watched, dumbfounded, as Hope cried. She didn't even notice when he disappeared and reappeared next to her.

"Hey." he prodded, nudging her with his head, "Stop that! I'm supposed to kill you! Why are you doing that?" He glared angrily, but Hope didn't care. She felt claustrophobic, like darkness was closing in on all sides. Why couldn't everyone be nice? Why was this flower so determined to hurt her? She wanted Sans, she wanted Papyrus, she wanted Toriel, she wanted Alphys. She wanted Frisk...

"Stop it!" Flowey yelled, and a vine picked Hope up by her foot. Her eyes shot wide open. Flowey roared and threw her against a wall. A thin spiderweb of cracks spread out from the impact, and the air was knocked from her lungs. Her whole body ached as she slid to the floor, moaning. The vine wrapped around her waist and tossed her into the air, limbs flailing. She hit the ground with a thud.

 _God dammit that hurt!_ Maeko muttered through gritted teeth.

A different vine appeared. It snaked over the ground slowly, and Hope's eyes widened as she crawled backwards. Her back hit the wall and she inhaled sharply. The vine shot out and secured her ankle, lifting her into the air again.

"Flowey, please." she begged, staring desperately at the flower. He was grinning again. The vine slammed her into the ground, as Hope cried out in pain. Maeko just stared, wide-eyed, and Hope was lifted into the air again. She was slammed against the ground, harder this time, and felt something inside her crack. She was slammed into the ground again, and a sickening crack sounded from her arm. Pain seared through Hope like fire, and her HP was down to 10. He slammed her into the ground yet again, and the world flickered out like a lightbulb. Hope cried out in pain.

Hope glanced wildly around her, seeing only blackness. Tears streamed down her face, and pain spiked in the back of her head. The vine withdrew from her ankle.

"What's going on?" Hope sobbed, "Where am I? Where are you?" Her breathing was became ragged, and the ground tilted.

"Uh, I'm right here." Flowey replied, sounding puzzled. Hope turned her head toward the voice, trying in vain to see something, anything.

 _Oh God..._ Maeko whispered, fear lacing her voice. More tears came.

"What happened? Why can't I see?" Hope cried, desperation clinging to her every word. She could sense Flowey's confusion.

 _You hit your head on the ground._ Maeko murmured, fear still tinging her tone, _You_ _... you hit the... back of your head. So you might have damaged your occipital lobe._

"Speak English!" Hope shouted desperately, sending a spike of pain through her head. She felt something hot and sticky just above the back of her neck.

 _You hit the part of your brain that processes sight._ Maeko reiterated, and Hope froze.

"He... I'm..." Hope whispered, then finally choked out, "He made me blind." She sensed Flowey stiffen.

"You... can't see?" he questioned quietly, and tears streamed down Hope's face. An odd noise came from his throat, and Hope felt something wave in front of her face, presumably a vine. Hope's lower lip trembled and buried her face in her hands. Flowey was silent.

 _Hope?_ Maeko called tentatively, _Don't worry. We'll get out of here and find a way to fix you._ Hope shook her head.

"It... I..." Flowey trailed off, then started again, "It doesn't matter! It just makes this easier!" A vine was suddenly wrapped around Hope's ankle and whipped her into the air again. She cried out as she landed hard on her broken arm, and a vine picked her up by the waist. She was pulled forward and right up to something small, Flowey's face maybe? He laughed menacingly.

"Now that you can't see, you can't escape me. You'll won't be able to move five steps before I catch you again." he mocked in a low, threatening voice. Maeko growled. Hope looked at where she thought his face should be and felt tears begin to well in her eyes. A lock of hair fall into her face.

"Is that really what you want?" she questioned quietly, "To hurt me? To beat me until I can't move anymore?" She sensed Flowey's grin falter for a moment before returning.

"Haven't I made it clear?" he growled, "That's exactly what I want."

* * *

"Shit!" Sans yelled in frustration as he teleported to yet another location without a trace of either Hope or the demon flower. Every time he teleported the tracker said something different, and Sans was seriously questioning its reliability. The poor kid was out there getting who-knows-what done to her by a crazy plant that shouldn't even be alive and this stupid piece of technology couldn't even display her correct location.

He'd been to Hotland. He'd been to Waterfall. He'd even been inside Asgore's castle, and still, no trace. It took ever ounce of willpower in Sans' bones not to smash the phone on the ground. Alphys was really gonna hear it when he got this whole mess sorted out.

Taking another deep breath to calm himself, Sans slid a hand down his face. He glanced down at the phone in his hands. The little white dot that was supposed to represent Hope's phone pulsed softly on a map of the Underground, hovering above a cavern at the very beginning of the Ruins. He sighed and teleported again, praying to whatever God lived in the heavens above that she was there.

He arrived in a somewhat large, stone room with a little spotlight in the middle. Flowey (more like giant demon Flowey) held the kid by the waist about three feet off the ground.

Oh God...

The kid looked awful. Bruises coated her body and she looked half-dead in the flower abomination's arms, not even struggling. Tear tracks carved through the light coat of dirt covering her head-to-toe. She and the plant monster both turned to where he was standing, her eyes searching around and settling on a spot just to his left. Something about that was... unsettling, somehow. Flowey looked dumbfounded.

"What? How!?" Flowey questioned, dropping Hope. She fell on her side with a soft thud, A tiny, relieved smile forming on her lips. Sans shrugged, tearing his eyes away from the kid.

"well, when ya have a friend who's being hunted by a plant abomination, you take some precautions." he replied, winking. Hope smiled slightly.

"Sans..." she whispered, then winced, wrapping an arm around her chest. He checked her HP and stiffened. She had half of one left. He looked back at Flowey, left eye flaring.

"listen _pal_ ," he started menacingly, "if you know what's good for you, you disappear back where you came from and _never come back._ " Flowey scoffed, then glowered at him.

"Oh, what, are you gonna save her just like you did last time?" he challenged, and Sans felt his grin widen. Alright, fine. If the plant wanted a fight, he would get one hell of a fight.

"alright then. looks like we'll have to do this the hard way." Sans replied, and the plant roared. He shot a vine at Sans, who teleported to the side. The skeleton summoned bones with one hand, the other in his pocket, and threw them at Flowey. The plant growled as he tried to dodge, ending up with one embedded in a vine. He hissed in pain and shot little white petals at Sans.

"c'mon, you can try a little harder than that." Sans mocked, dodging Flowey's projectiles with ease. The plant roared again as a Gaster Blaster appeared above him. His eyes widened and he tried to dodge, several of his vines being incinerated. Hope still lay on the ground near the back of the room, the only indication of life the pained rise and fall of her chest.

A ring of petals surrounded Sans, and he teleported away before any of them could get near him. He rolled his white pupils.

"didn't expect that one to work, did'ja?" he asked. His response was more vines, which were blown to bits by another Gaster Blaster.

"Stop trying to bring humor into this battle!" Flowey demanded, and Sans arched a skeletal eyebrow.

"why? am i too **humerus** for you?" Sans punned, and Flowey growled. Hope smiled faintly.

"No, you're an idiot!" he yelled angrily, whipping vines at the skeleton again.

" **tibia** honest, you're not the only one to think I'm a **bone-head** , but I don't let it get **under my skin** anymore." Sans punned on, winking at Hope. She continued to stare forward, her smile pained. Flowey's eye twitched.

"You... you _URGH!_ WHY!?" Flowey shouted in barely controlled rage. Sans' grin widened.

" 'cause it makes you mad. plus," Sans' eye sockets went dark, "you're supposed to be having a bad time, remember?" The flower abomination shot more petals and vines, which Sans teleported away from. A Gaster Blaster appeared above Flowey and his eyes widened.

"FFFFUUUUU-" his shout was drowned out by the blaster firing. When the smoke cleared, he was back to his regular size, scorched and shaking slightly.

"heh." Sans' grin widened, "look who's on top now." He walked forward, and Flowey looked utterly terrified.

"S-Stay away from me!" he yelled, trying to sound threatening though his voice shook. He disappeared beneath the earth and Sans stared at the spot where he was for a moment. Sighing, he jogged over to Hope's side.

* * *

"hey kid, are you okay?" Sans asked, and Hope felt him drop to his knees beside her. A thousand thoughts swam in her head, a few standing out more prominently than the rest. Flowey was out to get her. Flowey was out to get Frisk. He was willing to go to extreme measures to hurt them.

She couldn't see.

"Honestly, no," she answered, her voice hoarse, "not really." Weights tugged at her eyelids, and she gave in. Her head rested on the cool, gritty floor. "Is Flowey gone?"

"yeah. if he's smart, he'll never bother you again." Sans replied, and Hope said nothing. What could she say? Maeko remained silent.

"Sans." she began, and a single tear ran down the side of her face. She hesitated, and she could feel Sans waiting for her to continue. He was probably staring at her with that concerned look on his face. She opened her eyes, thinking maybe she was only hallucinating before, but the blackness still loomed over her. Still dark, still heavy.

"hey, what's wrong kid?" Sans questioned, and another tear slipped silently down the side of Hope's face. She quickly wiped it away.

"Never mind." she murmured, "It's... nothing." Sans remained silent for a minute.

 _Hope, this is serious._ Maeko finally spoke, and Hope bit back more tears, _Sans needs to know. If he doesn't know, he can't help you._ Sans shifted slightly.

"c'mon kid. i thought we agreed not to lie to each other anymore." he insisted, and Hope's breath hitched.

"You didn't say anything about that.." she protested softly, and she could almost see the tiny grin on Sans' face.

"it was unspoken." Hope paused, and the tears in her eyes threatened to spill over.

"I... I can't..." she started, pausing. A sob rose in her throat, and she pushed it down. She shifted her gaze to where she thought his eyes should be and suddenly felt exhausted. She heard Sans shift again, and something moved in front of her face.

"how many fingers am i holding up?" Sans asked Hope, she opened her mouth slightly to reply before closing it again.

"I... I..." she started, and her eyes shifted to the right.

 _Hope._ Maeko insisted, and Hope sobbed once.

"I don't know." she finally spoke, softly, and sensed Sans stiffen. More tears rose up and she covered her face. For a reason she couldn't explain, she was ashamed, like she brought this upon herself. A bony hand rested itself on her shoulder, and Hope sat upright. She suddenly shot forward and wrapped Sans in a tight embrace, ignoring the spike of pain that shot out from several places in her body. He hugged her back.

"it's okay." he comforted, and Hope sensed a dark tone in his voice. Anger, maybe? She wasn't sure. Hope sobbed into his shoulder, comforted by the familiar feel. An image of his lightish blue sweatshirt appeared in her head and she clung to it, hoping that if she tried hard enough, she could actually see it. A silent shadow tear slipped down Maeko's cheek.

"you're going to be okay."

* * *

(A/N Whoooooa there, things just got intense. And the cliffhangers man. They just never stop coming! I'm sorry, I'm evil.

So yeah, Flowey was definitely right. The fluff had its turn, and now come the feels. And I understand if you feel like screaming at _certain charaters_ right about now *glares pointedly at Flowey*. Just writing this hurt.

So anyway, please favorite, follow, and review if you enjoyed this, and happy reading!)


	16. Chapter 16

(A/N Hey, uh, just wanted to let you know, there is another pretty intense child abuse scene in here, so if you don't want to read that... skip the section in italics. It might actually be more intense than the last one I put out a warning for, so yeah. Be warned. And the level of fluff is minimal. Please don't hate me!

Also, thank you KarmicRetribution, Minerva Arhedes, and Asriel for your awesome reviews! And Asriel, I was laughing for a solid five minutes when I read yours. Just saying.)

 **Chapter 16**

"I don't know." she finally spoke, softly, and Sans stiffened. That little _pest_. Not only had Flowey kidnapped the poor kid in one of the most brutal ways Sans could think of, but he had also left some pretty significant wounds and damaged her head enough to _make her go blind_. Hope was a _child_. How could that abomination do this to her?

Tears well in Hope's eyes, and she covered her face. Not really knowing what else to do, Sans rested a hand on her shoulder. She stopped crying for a minute and sat up. Her emerald eyes looked utterly lifeless. She suddenly shot forward and wrapped Sans in a tight embrace. He froze for a second, shocked, before he returned the gesture.

"it's okay." he tried to assure in a comforting tone, but a bit of anger tinged his voice, "you're going to be okay." Hope sobbed into his shoulder, clinging to Sans like a life vest. Her whole body trembled. When he got his hands on that petaled menace...

Sans tried to relax himself. His first priority was getting Hope somewhere safe where she could be healed. The hospitals would be ideal, but seeing as she was a human... that wasn't gonna fly. He silently cursed himself for not bringing any food with him. He supposed he always could teleport somewhere to get her food, but she was in no condition to travel, and there was no way he was leaving her alone after this incident. The skeleton was still lost in his thoughts when a voice called out.

"Hello? Is anyone here? I thought I heard voices." the voice, feminine and adult, called out. Somehow, it sounded familiar. Where had he heard it before?

A goat woman appeared around the corner, her eyes widening when she saw the two on the floor. She quickly paced over and knelt next to them.

"What happened?" she questioned, concerned. Hope stopped crying and turned blindly to the woman.

"T-Toriel?" she asked, and recognition flashed in the goat monster's eyes.

"Hope? My child!" she exclaimed, and weak smile formed on Hope's lips. Toriel wrappeded her in a tight embrace, and Hope to winced. The woman pulled away immediately.

"What happened to you?" Toriel asked, horror replacing the brief joy, "You're covered in bruises! Your voice doesn't sound like it should, and you were in here crying!" She held Hope at arms length, and the girl began to cry again.

"I'm... I'm really sorry Toriel." she apologized, and Toriel stared into her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed.

Sans decided to check Hope's stats again and almost winced at the results. Several ribs were broken, and her right arm was fractured in two places. There were many cracks ranging up and down the bones in her legs, and one almost-fracture on her left ankle. Both lungs appeared bruised, along with the at least two dozen bruises peppering her skin. Her skull had a crack on the backside, near the base of the neck and dangerously close to the spinal chord. From the looks of it, it was a miracle Flowey had only taken her sight and not completely paralyzed her. Anger rose inside him like a tidal wave.

"hey, Toriel, right? can you use healing magic?" Sans questioned, and she nodded quickly, "okay good, 'cause she really needs it." Toriels eyes widened.

"How bad is it?" she asked, fear reflected in her eyes. Hope rested her head on the goat woman, her breath raspy and labored.

"her hp is at 0.5." Sans replied, and Toriel paled. She immediately lay Hope across her lap, the kid not resisting at all. She closed her eyes as Toriel summoned magic to her fingertips. Green fire danced along her palms.

"What needs healing?" she asked Sans, her gaze still lingering on the frail girl in her lap.

"start with the head. that's the worst part." he replied, and Toriel flinched at the word 'worst'. She held her hands over Hope's head, and the green magic reached down to heal her. The girl shifted slightly, her expression lightening just a little. As soon as she was done, Sans directed her to the next damaged part of the child. Finally, after what felt like a solid thirty minutes, Toriel stopped. Tears edged her eyes.

"Is... is that all?" she asked Sans, and he checked Hope again. Everything seemed to have healed nicely. The only part that worried him was the damage to the brain, which, if he was not mistaken, was in a section necessary for sight.

Hopefully he was mistaken.

"yup, that's all you can do for now." he replied, and Toriel nodded. Light bags had formed under her eyes, and she smiled tiredly.

"Well then, I'll be taking Hope back to my home." she responded, motioning to the now sleeping child in her lap, "You're welcome to join us if you like." Sans' grin widened slightly.

"will do." They both stood, Toriel with Hope in her arms, and began to walk towards the end of the Ruins. After a little while, Toriel finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I realize that I never asked your name." she started apologetically, and Sans chuckled lightly.

"well, given our previous situation, that's okay." he replied, "the name's sans." The goat woman smiled thoughtfully.

"Sans. I like that name. I am Toriel." she nodded to him, then smiled a little wider, "Though I suppose you knew that already. You are the voice on the other side of the door, are you not?" Sans' smile lightened.

"yep, that's me." he answered, "i was hoping the circumstance we would meet under wouldn't be so **baaaaaad** , but i guess it can't really be helped." Toriel laughed softly.

"Don't worry, I don't have a **bone to pick** with you." she punned back, and Sans' grin widened. They walked on in silence for a little while longer before Toriel sighed.

"Sans," she started, her tone worried, "what... happened to her?" Sans' grin shrunk and he felt his pupils dim. "I mean," Toriel continued, "I hear a commotion from my house and you two are suddenly here, the poor child looking like she just survived a severe beating. That's never happened to one of my children before." Sans nodded absently, his pupils missing.

"let's just say she was attacked." he replied darkly, and Toriel looked stunned.

"Attacked?! By who?" she started, then continued before Sans could reply, "Where did they go? What do they want? Are they coming back? Why would they do this to an innocent child?!" Sans watched as her face darkened in rage, and she struggled not to yell.

"whoa, calm down." he coaxed, and she looked down at him, "yes, she was attacked, but i don't know who it was." The lie slipped off his tongue easily from experience. "i don't know where they went or what they want, and if they're not a total idiot, they won't be coming back." He finished, and Toriel took a deep breath.

"Tell me if you see them again." she told Sans firmly, a darkness in her voice. He nodded.

"trust me, if I see them again," his eye sockets darkened.

" **they'll wish they weren't alive**."

* * *

At first, the dreams were peaceful, filled with a warm, green light. It was comforting, and the pain that had previously wracked Hope's entire body dissipated. Those dreams didn't last, however, and were soon filled with terrifying whispers and a smothering darkness

"I told you before, and I'll tell you again. It's fun to watch you suffer, so I make you suffer as much as you can." Flowey laughed evilly, and Hope felt around desperately for anything to defend herself. Flowey laughed at her stumbling, extending a vine to trip her. She was sent sprawling.

"You're all alone." Flowey mocked, and for a second, Hope thought she heard someone else.

 _"You're all alone." Dad mocked, kicking me in the stomach. I hunched over from the blow, weakly tugging at the rope around my wrists._

 _"Why?" I whispered, biting back a sob, "What's the point?" He laughed humorlessly._

 _"Come on, Hope. I know you're not stupid." he mocked again, leaning over so he was at eye level with me. I was actually a little bit glad for the blindfold. I didn't have to see his hatred-filled eyes. "You know what you did, and you knew what the punishment would be." He kicked me again. I gasped from the pain. He crouched down and untied my hands._

 _"You're... you're letting me go?" I asked skeptically, my voice still small and afraid. This certainly wasn't fun, but I had expected something a bit more... severe. He laughed again._

 _"No. I'm redoing the knot." he replied, forcing me to turn so I faced the bed. He tied my hands in front of me to the frame so my back was to him. Fear paralyzed me, and I listened intently for any sign of movement. Something metal clanged on the frame next to my hands._

 _"Let's see. What should I do with this?" he asked, and my eyes widened as something appeared next to my face. It was sharp and metal. Dread filled me when I realized what it was. He mock gasped._

 _"Oh! I know! How about I give you a tattoo!" he exclaimed. I began to tremble uncontrollably._

 _"Dad, don't." I whispered, and he leaned over. I knew something was up when he asked me to wear the only dress I owned, which had spaghetti straps and an open back. Now I was beginning to understand._

 _"What was that? Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of this." he asked, clanging the knife against the metal frame again. I flinched, tears streamed from my eyes._

 _"Daddy, please don't." I begged, a little louder. He chuckled._

 _"Sorry sweetie. It's a little too late for that." he fake apologized, and I shrieked as a knife carved into my back. He made an indecipherable shape and tugged the knife out, then carved another._

 _"Dad, STOP!" I yelled, and he just laughed._

 _I cried out in pain as he plunged the knife into my back repeatedly, making another tiny shape each time. I struggled as much as I could, but the combination of his strength and the ropes around my wrists were enough to keep me from going anywhere._

 _"Help!" I cried out desperately. Maybe the neighbors would come, or some passerby on the street. Maybe someone could miraculously deliver the mail just in time to hear my shriek. Just... someone!_

 _But nobody came._

 _Dad laughed as he stood over me, an evil, almost insane sort of laugh. I clenched my eyes shut, though it really made no difference._

 _No, no stop._ a voice called out, not from Hope's memory. She suddenly felt the world around her dissolve and the fiery pain subsided, replaced instead by a dull ache in her head. The world reformed again into a familiar meadow with the bush in the middle. Maeko stood across from Hope, hugging herself.

"Hope, I... I never thought..." she started, then looked up. Tears welled in her eyes. "God Hope, I'm so _sorry_..." Hope smiled lightly.

"It's okay." she murmured, looking to the side. Maeko's hands clenched into tight fists.

"No, it's _not_ okay. What I just saw was _anything_ but okay." she growled, and Hope stared, "What he did to you was inexcusable. No one, _especially_ you, should ever have to go through something like that." Hope watched Maeko, her lower lip trembling.

"I-I, you can't even fathom how angry I am right now." she continued, her eyes flashing dangerously, "How _dare_ your father torture you in such a way? How _dare_ Flowey do that to you when you'd been through so much already? _How dare he **torture a torture victim**?!" _ Hope was speechless as Maeko trembled from rage.

"I... it's..." Hope tried, but trailed off. Maeko glared at her.

"Don't you dare lie to me and tell me you're okay, because you're not." Maeko demanded, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"You're right." she murmured, "You're right. I'm not okay. I haven't been okay since I was five years old. I've been broken, and sad, and scared for my life. I try to be brave, I try to be strong, but how can I?" Maeko slowly walked around the bush to Hope's side.

"I'm just a coward. I'm a stupid coward who's too weak to survive." she whispered angrily, swiping tears away from her face. Maeko wrapped her arms around Hope, clutching her tightly.

"You're not a coward. Your dad? He's a coward. Flowey's a coward. But you?" Hope could hear the light smile in her voice, "You're one of the bravest people on this earth." Hope nodded, then clutched Maeko.

"I'm so tired of crying. I'm just so... so sick of it." she whispered, and Maeko held on to her.

"I almost heard some language right there." she joked, and Hope laughed weakly.

"Believe me, if I didn't have standards, I would be swearing up a storm right about now." Hope replied, and Maeko chuckled.

"You're starting to sound a bit like Papyrus." she pointed out, then pulled away. "I might not have a stomach, but I do have standards." She stood up tall and crossed her arms over her chest, casting Hope a stern look. Hope giggled.

"That's not how he acts!" she protested, and Maeko quirked an eyebrow.

"Really? Because I seem to remember that exact phrase coming directly from him." Maeko countered, holding her chin in mock thought. "Nah, guess I'm imagining things again." She waved her hand dismissively, and Hope giggled again. The scene around them started to shift and fade, and Hope looked around her.

"Am I waking up again?" she asked Maeko.

"Yeah, looks like it." she turned to Hope, a caring expression on her face. "Hey, I'm right here when you need me, okay?" She rapped on her head with her knuckle. "So don't be a stranger." Hope nodded. The two hugged again before everything faded into black.

* * *

(A/N THE FEEEEEELLLLLLS! NRRRGGHHH! I'm kinda starting to wonder if I'm making Hope's past _too_ devastating. *thinks really hard* Pfffft, naaaah!

Okay, I know one of those scenes up there was pretty bad, but trust me, this flashback is definitely the worst. I'm not going to make any worse ones. Wait, I didn't make that promise before, did I? Uuuuummmmm... well, I mean it this time!

Things are going to stay kinda dark and full of angst for a few chapters here, so bear with me. There _is_ light at the end of the tunnel, I promise. We're just not there yet.

But if you liked this, y'know, please follow, favorite, and review. Happy reading!)


	17. Chapter 17

(A/N Uuuuhhhhh... hi guys. Okay, straight to the point, I messed up big time last time I posted a chapter. You may or may not have notived the "typo" on Chapter 16 that said Chapter 17 instead. It... wasn't a typo. That was Chapter 17. I was stupid enough to post Chapter 17 an update too early and completely skipped Chapter 16. So uh... yeah. Don't worry, I fixed it, so now Chapter 16 is actually Chapter 16. So if you started reading this before 7/26/16... go back and read it. I'm super sorry about the inconvenience!

Also, things in this chapter aren't as bad as the last two chapters have been, I promise, so you can relax a bit. It's mostly just a bunch of Sans ranting and people freaking out over something which you will find out in literally two paragraphs.

Thank you Minerva Arhedes, Asewil, and That Haunted Duck for your reviews!)

 **Chapter 17**

When she arrived back at her house, Toriel immediately took Hope into the bathroom to clean her up a bit. She didn't think the child would appreciate waking up covered in grime. She peeled of her dirty clothing, taking the phone out of her pocket, and began to work. After about ten minutes, she was about clean, and Toriel changed her into a fresh change of clothes. She was just combing her snarled hair when she noticed something near the top of the child's back, right under her neck. Toriel looked closer and paled.

The words _Property of Sean Casteel_ were carved into the skin, creating a scar about the size of Toriel's hand. She stared at the words, shocked. Who could have done this?

A fiery rage ignited inside her. Someone, somewhere, had carved a tattoo _with a blade_ into this child's skin. They tagged her like property. Toriel's mind reeled. Who had done this to her, and _why_? She tried her best to calm herself as she finished with the girl's hair, telling herself there was nothing she could do but help this poor child right now.

Carefully, Toriel carried Hope into the spare bedroom and tucked her under the covers. She sat on the side of the bed for a moment, gazing at the sleeping girl. She really was pretty, and her young face looked just a little older than the other children Toriel had seen. It also looked a bit more... troubled. Tired. If Toriel's sneaking suspicions were correct, than it was really no wonder.

The goat woman sighed and gingerly kissed the child on the cheek before turning to leave. She quietly closed the door behind her and paced into the living room where her skeleton friend waited, hands in his pockets. His perpetual grin did nothing to hide his worried eyes.

"Alright, she's asleep in the guest room." Toriel informed, and Sans nodded. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

"okay. thanks for taking care of her." he replied. Toriel smiled lightly.

"Of course. I wasn't going to leave her like that." she assured.

"heh, yeah. i s'pose not." They stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes, both absorbed in their own thoughts. Toriel glanced to the side.

"Have you seen... her scar?" she asked finally, and Sans glanced up at her. He looked puzzled.

"no, don't think so." He sounded hesitant.

"Well," Toriel sighed, "she has this... scar, on her back. It's not... normal."

"how so?" Sans asked. Toriel sensed worry in his gaze. Perhaps he suspected something as well?

"It's from a knife. It can't be anything else." she answered. Sans' grin shrunk, "And that's not all. It's..." Toriel squeezed her eyes closed, trapping the tears inside. "... words. The child has words carved into her back."

"... what do they say?" Sans asked after a long pause, his voice low and barely audible. Toriel opened her eyes. Sans' pupils had disappeared.

" 'Property of Sean Casteel'." she murmured at last, and Sans' eyes widened. If his perpetual grin could get any smaller, it would've. His left eye flared blue.

* * *

"that b******." Sans muttered, but his second word was mostly blurred out because the author doesn't approve of that kind of language.

Hey, I have standards too.

Toriel looked taken aback by the sudden ferocity in his words, but he didn't care. That, that... _thing_ Hope called a father had not only beaten her, but had also _carved a tattoo into her skin_. That was inexcusable. No wonder the poor kid was afraid of everyone.

She'd lived with a true monster.

"What do we do?" Toriel asked in a small voice. The pupils returned to Sans' eyes.

"i don't think there's anything we _can_ do." he replied slowly, feeling defeated, "whoever did this to her lives on the surface. and judging by our current placement-" Sans gestured around him, "-i don't think we'll be getting up there any time soon." Toriel nodded, then took a deep breath.

"Should... should I ask her about it?" she questioned, and Sans waved her off.

"nah, let her sleep. we'll ask questions later." Toriel nodded absently, then paced over to an armchair near the fire pit and sat down, covering her face with a furry hand. Sans excused himself and shuffled down the hallway, stopping in front of the first door. He peeked inside and saw Hope tucked into a bed, asleep.

Sans sighed, carefully closing the door behind him. He shuffled in and stopped next to the bed. Hope's eyebrows furrowed and she shifted, her expression pained. She turned away from Sans, the hair falling away from her back. Sans felt his pupils disappear.

Sure enough, just like Toriel said, there was a large scar on the top of her back. The marks was exactly as she described, messy letters froming four sinister words. He could only see the top of it over the back of Hope's shirt, but it looked to be about the size of both of his hands. Worried bags formed under his eyesockets as he stared. Hope curled into a ball, covering her face.

"hey, kid." Sans murmured, shaking her shoulder lightly. She relaxed just a little, expression lightening. He sighed and sat on the ground. It's probably be best if he kept watch for a bit. She woke with a little while later.

"Mmm... you here?" she murmured quietly, opening her eyes. She didn't look at him.

"yeah kid, i'm here," Sans answered, giving a two-fingered wave. Hope turned her head, surprised.

"Oh, hi Sans," she said, her eyes darting back and forth, "Are we at Toriel's house?"

"yeah. she's out there." Sans replied, his eyesockets narrowing. Hope nodded, swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She attempted to stand, wobbling slightly. She caught herself on the bed.

"need some help?" Sans offered as Hope stumbled forward, almost falling over. She nodded, blinking away tears. Sans walked over to her side and took her hand. She smiled lightly.

"Ugh. Kinda making a fool of myself here, huh?" she muttered, laughing humorlessly. Sans hehed quietly, concerned.

"nah, it's okay," he assured, then hesitated for a second. "still can't see?" he asked. Hope blinked back more tears.

"No," Sans nodded, studying her closely. She closed her eyes, taking a shaky breath. 'Poor kid,' Sans thought, 'First she's been through Hell and back with her own family, and now she has to go through this down here. No wonder she thinks the shadows always about to attack her.' He took a deep breath.

"kid, i know there's something you forgot to tell me earlier," he said. Hope froze.

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly, her voice saying she probably at least had a clue.

"tori told me about something she found earlier." he said, "a scar on your back." Hope's expression darkened.

"So you know..." she murmured, more to herself than Sans. "You want an explanation, right?" she asked. Her expression was a uncharacteristically dark.

"if you have one," he answered. She nodded. She set her jaw, preparing.

"That was for the first time I threatened to run away with Frisks" she said. Sans' eye sockets widened.

"this was recently?" A tear slipped down Hope's cheek as she nodded, her eyes squeezing closed.

"It happened two days before we left. Frisk was at school. Dad kept me home to..." Hope swallowed, "... to punish me." Sans stared.

 _Punish her?!_

"He tied me to my bedpost and put a blindfold over my eyes. Then he..." she stopped, and her breath shuddering on the way out. More tears gathered in her eyes, the occasional one spilling over. She hunched over as if recovering from a blow, hugging her arms tightly to herself. "He said it was so I knew I was an object. He said it was so I remembered that I belonged to him, and that I was nothing." She shook her head, as if trying to get rid of a memory. Sans was taken aback.

"it... how. _how?!_ " Sans' growled, his hands clenching into fists. His left pupil flared, blue flames reaching upwards. Hope stared in alarm. "how could he say that? how could anyone ever do that to _you_?" he continued, anger rising like a tidal wave inside him. He glanced over at the kid, who was beginning to look afraid.

"S-Sans?" she stammered, and the blue light in his eye socket died down. He forced his fists to unclench and grinned reassuringly.

"sorry kid. guess i got a little carried away there," he said, "i just don't understand how people can do such things to other people. he marked you like property. that's..." He paused. "that's unforgivable." Hope stared at him with her sightless, searching eyes, then nodded.

"It's okay Sans. It's not your fault. I'm just a bit of a scardy cat," she said. Sans' shoulders slumped.

"kid, if i had to go through the hell you experienced, i would never leave my house." he answered. Hope laughed for a moment before she was cut off by her rumbling stomach.

"Oh, uh..." Hope blushed, laughing at herself. Sans chuckled.

"should we get you some food?" he asked. She laughed again.

"Yeah, that'd probably be best."

* * *

Sans took Hope's hand, tugging her towards the doorway.

 _Well that was... emotional,_ Maeko commented. Hope smiled.

'You said it. And that last part was kinda embarrassing,' she replied. Maeko laughed.

 _Hey, it happens to the best of us,_ she shrugged, _I mean, even someone as perfect as myself has had that happen a time or two._ Hope scoffed internally.

'Getting a little egotistical, aren't we?'

 _Hell yeah._

'Language.'

 _Oh come on!_ Maeko protested, _You let me swear earlier!_

'Maeko, we were suffocating.' Hope replied matter-of-factly, 'I had other things to worry about.' Maeko rolled her eyes.

 _The girl and her frickin' language._ Hope ignored her and tried to focus on where she was stepping. She could tell she was in the hallway now because of the lighter environment, but she couldn't distinguish anything else. The carpet felt good under her (apparently?) bare feet. Even without her sight, it was clear Toriel worked hard to keep the place welcoming. Sans towed her into the living room (she assumed), where the light got a little brighter.

"Hello my child!" Toriel greeted brightly, "How are you feel-" She stopped cut herself off. Hope's eyes darted side to side, her eyebrows furrowing. She could sense the goat woman's worry.

"Hi Toriel." she replied nervously, trying to focus on where Toriel's voice came from. There was an area of concentrated light near her, which Hope figured was probably the fireplace.

"hey tori, where can we get some food around here?" Sans questioned. Hope listened intently. If this sight issue was going to be permanent, she wanted to learn how to get along without it quickly.

"Oh, hold on a moment." Toriel replied, snapping out of her thoughts. There was a rustling as she stood up, her footsteps fading into the kitchen.

 _God this is frustrating,_ Maeko muttered. Hope couldn't help but agree.

'Do you think the food will restore my sight?' she asked. Maeko considered.

 _I honestly have no idea. I know it heals all other types of wounds, but the vision is questionable._ Hope nodded in her mind. Toriel's footsteps neared again, slower and more meticulous than before. Was she holding something?

"Here, you can eat a slice of this." Toriel said, placing something invisible to Hope on something else invisible to Hope.

Sans guided her to a chair (probably) and placed her hand on the seat so she could find it. "Thanks." she murmured, carefully easing herself into the chair. Sans said nothing. A soft clang rang through the air as something was placed in front of her. She stiffened, the sound of metal clanging on metal ringing in her ears.

 _It's not dangerous!_ Maeko assured as Hope's heart started to beat a little faster, _Not a knife! Probably just a plate._ Hope relaxed. The eyes of the two other monsters in the room bored into her skull.

'Great. Now everyone's worried about me,' she muttered.

 _Hey, in their defense, they really should be,_ Maeko replied, shrugging. Hope focused on the space in front of her.

'That doesn't mean I like it...'

 _It doesn't really matter what you like right now, now does it?_ Hope resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She supposed Maeko did have a point...

"Are you alright, my child?" Toriel questioned. Hope nodded stiffly.

"I'm okay. Just... thinking," she replied, quietly staring where she thought the plate was. She reached out a tentative hand and touched it, carefully feeling around its edge.

"there's a piece of pie on the plate, and a fork to the right of it." Sans informed. Hope nodded, her hand moving inward slightly and finding the utensil. She lifted it, ignoring the shiver shooting down her spine, and felt around for the slice of dessert. She then dug her fork in and, after a few tries, tore off a small bite. She spooned it into her mouth and felt a warm sensation shoot through her body. She concentrated really hard, trying to force her sight to return. Nothing.

Hope took another bite, choking back tears. The warm sensation returned, but her sight didn't.

'Why won't it work?' she asked Maeko, not really looking for a reply. She remained silent. Hope pushed the plate away.

"I'm not hungry anymore." she murmured, staring off to her left. Why did life have to be so cruel to her? Why couldn't something, _for once_ , just work the way she thought it should? What did she do to deserve this?

Sans rested a hand on her shoulder. She stared straight at nothing, a feeling of emptiness slowly creeping in. Toriel inhaled sharply, holding back tears. That made two of them.

"It's okay," Toriel said firmly, trying to assure herself as much as everyone else, "You can stay here. I'll take care of you. You'll be safe, and I can help you learn to cope and-"

"No," Hope interrupte. She felt a burning in the back of her throat. "I can't."

"Why not, my child?" the goat woman questioned, taken aback. Hope's eyebrows furrowed.

"I can't just leave Frisk like that." she answered. Sans lifted his hand off her shoulder.

"but you're not in any condition to-"

"I don't care what condition I'm in!" she yelled, cutting off the skeleton, "Frisk is my sister. I can't abandon her!"

"look, if you stay here, i'll take care of this for you." Sans insisted. Hope stopped.

"You'll find her?"

"yeah. it can't be too hard, right?" Hope scoffed.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." she replied, and she could almost see Sans' eye roll.

"yeah, and you had to have had the worst luck in the world." he pointed out, and Hope laughed.

"Okay, true." she paused and thought for a moment before sighing. "I don't know..."

"oh come on." Sans complained, "do you trust me?"

 _What, is he freaking Aladdin now?_ Hope ignored her.

"I... I guess." Hope shook her head, "But please don't freak her out. I'm pretty sure if you told her her sister was blinded by a crazy lower monster she'd never leave your side again." Sans laughed.

"okay then. i'll be on my way." Hope heard the sound of Sans shuffling away and almost fell out of her chair trying to face.

"Wait, you're going now?" she questioned, a bit surprised. She heard a rustle of clothing from his shrug.

"just have to make a phone call first."

 _Jeez, I didn't expect him to leave that quickly._ Maeko commented, sounding surprised, _I thought he was a lazy bones._

'Yeah. Wait... you punned!'

 _Crap._

* * *

(A/N Alright, Sans is on a mission! And Hope is... handicapped. Then there's Maeko, who's somewhere in between. Hurray?

So things aren't looking too good for Hope right now, but hey, what else is new? She always seems to take the brunt of the damage. Welcome to the life of an older sibling, Hope. Well, the life of an abused, protective, and currently being hunted older sibling. Yeesh, when I put it like that, it sounds like she really has it bad. At least she has Maeko.

Anyway, I was sure of where I was going with this, but after reading KarmicRetribution's review, I changed the whole path of this story arc. Well, tweaked it more like, but it'll definitely change the whole of these next few chapters. But yeah, lots to figure out now.

But yeah, thank you guys for all the support! Please favorite, follow, and review if you liked this chapter, and happy reading to you all!)


	18. Chapter 18

(A/N Okay, just so you know Minerva Arhedes, I am perfectly sane! I just think... frightening things, sometimes. *stares at the ground*

Well, thanks KarmicRetrinbution and Minerva Arhedes for the reviews. And now, without further ado, is your chapter! *runs a clap track*)

 **Chapter 18**

Sans walked into the hallway and pulled out his phone. He decided to check the tracker in Hope's phone, just to see how accurate it was right now. The little white dot was right above Hotland. Any other day, he would've laughed when he saw that, but today was that one exception. Instead, he rolled his magic pupils and dialed Alphys' number.

"Hey Sans." she greeted, "You need something?"

"yeah. i just wanted to know where Frisk is." he replied, and he heard her scramble over to her screen.

"O-okay. She's near the end of Hotland." she informed, and he could tell she was watching intently.

"mm'k. just wanted to know so I could meet her somewhere." he shrugged, even though he knew Alphys couldn't see him. "oh, and alph?"

"Yeah?"

"your tracking software for Hope's phone needs work. Right now, it thinks she's in Hotland." He could almost see Alphys' cheeks flush.

"She's n-not?"

"nope."

"Oh." Sans hung up and clicked his phone shut, taking a breath before teleporting.

* * *

Frisk neared a large set of steps and stopped. The Nice Cream man leaned against his stand, looking bright. She padded up to him and peered over the counter.

"Hey! It's you again!" he greeted, "Business is excellent here! Those two fellas bought ALL my Nice Cream!" He tilted his head slightly toward the two royal guardsmen Frisk battled earlier. She smiled, and the Nice Cream continued, "I've actually sold out of everything! Sorry." He grinned sheepishly, then perked up.

"Wait! I've still got something for you!" He smiled widely, "... A big smile! How about that!" Frisk gave him a thumbs-up and turned to the stairs. They loomed far above, much like the Ruins stairs, except... taller.

She ran up them as fast as she could go, laughing to herself. Hope liked to do this with her on the front steps of her school. She skidded to a stop at the top, coming into view of a large building with the letters MTT displayed in fancy gold letters. Sans stood to the left with his hands in his pockets, eyes half closed. He opened them and grinned at her.

"hey." he greeted, "how's your big adventure goin', kiddo?" Frisk smiled widely and gave a thumbs-up. Sans chucked. "yeah, I saw you on tv."

"Going to Core." she informed, pointing into the restaurant. Sans nodded.

"how about grabbing some dinner with me first?" he offered, and Frisk nodded excitedly. "great, thanks for treating me." She paused and faked a scowl. There was no way she was going to have him try to talk her into paying again.

"over here. i know a shortcut." he motioned for Frisk to follow as he walked into the darkness of the alleyway. She followed and was surrounded in that weird tube of light again before she found herself sitting in a chair inside a fancy restaurant.

Man, Sans' shortcuts are really weird.

"well, here we are." Sans said from his place across from her. There was a table with a fancy white tablecloth and a single candle between them, and the atmosphere was dark.

"so." Sans started, and Frisk focused on him, "your journey's almost over, huh? you must really wanna go home." Frisk's gaze shifted downward. She missed the sun, the fresh air, the plants. She sighed.

"hey. i know the feeling, buddo." Sans assured, looking distant for a moment, "though... maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you." Frisk stared quizzically before he elaborated. "down here you've got food, drink, friends... is what you have to do... really worth it?" Frisk's eyebrows furrowed. She'd never really thought about the journey ahead. She'd have to fight King Asgore, she was pretty sure, and she didn't like fighting anybody. If what everyone said was true, she might not have to fight him, but she didn't really know anything. Honestly, she barely even understood any of this stuff. Sans closed his eyes for a moment.

"ah, forget it." he dismissed the thought, "i'm rootin' for ya, kid." He looked away, and Frisk thought for a moment. He was right, probably. She had friends down here, which was already more than she had on the Surface. She loved this place, though it was a little bit scary in places. But... she was a human. Humans belonged on the Surface, right?

"hey." Sans snapped her back to the present, and she focused on him once more, "let me tell you a story." Frisk smiled. "so, i'm a sentry in snowdin forest, right? i sit out there and watch for humans. it's kind of boring." He winked his left eye. "fortunately, deep in the forest... there's this HUGE locked door, and it's perfect for practicing knock knock jokes." Frisk grinned. A giant door to practice knock knock jokes? Awesome.

"so one day, i'm knocking 'em out, like usual. i knock on the door and say 'knock knock.' and suddenly, from the other side... i hear a woman's voice. 'who is there?' " Frisk is confused for a moment before she smiles. He was talking about Toriel, right? Sans continued.

"so, naturally, i respond 'dishes.' 'dishes who?' 'dishes a very bad joke.' " he smiles at the memory, "then she just howls with laughter, like it's the best joke she's heard in a hundred years. so i keep 'em comin', and she keeps laughing. she's the best audience I've ever had.

"then, after a dozen of 'em, SHE knocks and says... 'knock knock!' i say 'who's there?' 'old lady.' 'old lady who?' 'oh! i did not know you could yodel!' " Sans goes on, winking at the last line, "wow. needless to say, this woman was extremely good. we kept telling each other jokes for hours. eventually, i had to leave. papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story." Frisk giggled. Sans winked yet again.

"but she told me to come by again, and so i did. then i did again. and again. it's a thing now." he explained, "telling bad jokes through the door. it rules." He paused, looking off to the side again. The smile faded from Frisk's face, replaced by mild five-year-old impatience.

"...one day, though, i noticed she wasn't laughing very much. i asked her what was up. then she told me something strange." he looked distant as he remembered her words, " 'if a human ever comes through this door... could you please, please promise something? watch over them, and protect them, will you not?' " Frisk's tilted her head to the side. "now, i hate making promises. and this woman, i don't even know her name, but... someone who sincerely likes bad jokes... has an integrity you can't say 'no' to. do you get what i'm saying?" Frisk remained silent, not really sure what to do. Frankly, she didn't know what he was saying.

"that promise i made to her... you know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything? buddy." Sans' eyesockets went dark, and Frisk's eyes widened. When he spoke again, his voice was a deadly sort of quiet. " **You'd be dead where you stand.** " Frisk froze, finding the normally laid-back skeleton in front of her suddenly terrifying. Her eyes remained wide when his pupils returned, afraid of what he'd do next. Sans closed his eyes.

"...hey, lighten up, bucko!" he prodded, his normal demeanor returned, "i'm just joking with you." Frisk nodded stiffly and relaxed, though not fully. "besides.. haven't i done a great job protecting you? i mean, look at yourself. you haven't died a single time." Frisk raised her eyebrows. That was definitely not true. Sans noticed her expression. "hey, what's that look supposed to mean? am i wrong...?" Frisk rolled shook her head, smiling lightly.

"heh." Sans slid out of his chair and walked a little away from the table. "guess that's all. can i walk you out?" Frisk smiled again and hopped out of her seat, padding up to him and grabbing the sleeve of his sweatshirt. His grin widened slightly as they teleported in front of the restaurant again. When she looked up at him again, he seemed to be in deep thought.

"Sans?" she questioned, and he looked down at her. He sighed.

"just... thinking." he answered, then closed his eyes. "have you seen your sister recently?" Frisk was a bit taken aback by this. She hadn't thought about Hope since that day in Waterfall. She stared up at him.

"No." she answered. Sans nodded.

"heh. that's okay." He paused. Frisk waited, staring intently. Sans sighed.

"i saw her just a little while ago. she's... not doing so great." he started, and Frisk's eyes widened. What could have happened? Sans noticed her expression. "she had a run-in... with flowey."

Frisk gasped, holding her hands over her mouth. "Heal?" she questioned, and Sans' grin shrunk slightly. Oh no.

"uh... 'friad not, kiddo." he replied, and Frisk stiffened. "i heard maybe there's somethin' you can do?" He continued. "can you?" Frisk thought for a moment. Well, she did have her Save points...

"When?" she asked.

"if you're asking when it happened, about two hours ago." Horror crept into Frisk's expression.. She'd used a save point since then. An idea popped into her head, and she accepted it instantly. Without a second thought, she turned and flew down the stairs.

"hey, kid, where you goin'?" Sans called after, but she ignored him. She turned left, startling the two Royal Guardsmen, and skidded to a halt inside the elevator. Her hand slammed into one of the many buttons and she heard the electronic device whirring all around her. It opened onto another floor and she bolted through the doors.

Frisk raced past the empty bake stand and halted in front of the save point, right outside the place she battled Muffet. Her eyes narrowed as she examined the little star. Sans teleported right behind her.

"hey kid, what are you doing?" he questioned, and she ignored him again, eyes still set on the Save point. She pulled the burnt frying pan from her inventory. Sans stiffened.

"wait, you're not-" Frisk swung the frying pan forward with as much strength as she could muster and brought it down on the save point. A large crack ran through the center.

"whoa, stop! you have no idea what that could-!" Smash. The little save point cracked in two, and Frisk felt something like electricity shoot up through the frying pan and into her arm. She cried out in pain, dropping the pain. Her arm went numb. Sans stepped in between her and the shattered star.

"what was that for?" the skeleton demanded, and Frisk stared past him to the two golden halves. The light inside them sputtered slightly, clinging weakly to life. Frisk shoved Sans with all her strength (which was just enough to get him out of the way) and stomped on the first piece. It shattered like glass, the light flickering out. She kicked the other one into the wall, which shattered it just as effectively. Sans grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"what the hell did you just do!?" he stared, anger flashing in his eye sockets. Frisk stared determinedly, refusing to shrink under his scathing gaze. "do you have any idea what that could do?"

"No," she responded simply, confused. Sans' eyesocket twitched and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"kid, you're killin' me." he mumbled, looking up just in time to see Frisk press the Reload button.

* * *

Hope gasped as the world turned dark. Not the dark like it had been before, but a pitch black kind of darkness. It was like when Frisk died, but different. She could sense her sister's life still pulsing. There was a pulling sensation, then another, similar feeling in a different direction. The second one won over, and she felt a falling sensation as she was jerked back into the world.

The harshness of sight slammed into her like a brick wall, and Hope hissed as pain spiked through her skull. She was on her hands and knees. After a moment, she cracked her eyes open just for them to widen.

She could see.

An evil laugh came from behind her, and suddenly, Hope knew where she was. Maeko smirked inside her head.

 _Looks like the comedian earned us another chance._

* * *

(A/N Okay, there! I did it, you don't have to be freaking out on me anymore! What, you didn't think I'd really make that permanent, did you? I might be evil, but I'm not _that_ evil.

So now its back to the moment things started getting out of hand. And Frisk's finally starting to feel just a smidge of what Hope has been feeling the _whole freaking story_. Yeah Frisk, that's what you get for not giving your sister a second thought since _Chapter 7_. Nice cold cup of reality in the morning.

But yeah, things are going to change a bit here. Things are looking up again! As always, please follow, favorite, and review if you liked this, and happy reading to you all!


	19. Chapter 19

(Alrighty then, so right now I'm on vacation. It's been pretty cool so far. I visited the ocean, got knocked over by a giant wave, did a literal backward roll as a result of said roll, and other fun stuff. FYI, salt water tastes terrible. I do not recommend it.

Fun fact: Currently, I have all the way up to Chapter 31 planned out. I wtite ahead a lot. Like, a lot lot.

...I was bored. Enjoy!)

 **Chapter 19**

Hope stared at the ground, her heart thrumming against her chest like a desperate hummingbird. She was back. Here. With him.

"See, I told you." Flowey gloated from behind, "The moment Frisk realized what happened to you, she Reset, exactly how I said she would. Though," Flowey paused for a moment, "this time, she did something much more... drastic than I expected." Hope furrowed her eyebrows. Oh no...

She climbed to her feet, turning around to face the flower. He was a tiny, non-threatening plant right now, but she knew that wouldn't last. Every cell in her body screamed _'Run!'_ but she stood her ground.

"Drastic?" she questioned quietly, and Flowey chuckled.

"Yeah. She destroyed a Save point." Flowey shrugged (however that works with no shoulders), grinning. "I honestly have no idea what effect that could have, but I guess we'll find out, huh?" He grinned that trademark evil grin of his. Maeko grit her teeth, and Hope was even more confused.

'Save point?' she asked Maeko.

 _Oh yeah, that's just those little stars you kept seeing earlier._ Maeko replied, and Hope nodded. Flowey quirked a weird nonexistent flower eyebrow.

"Umm... okay." he brushed off her nod to seemingly no one, and Maeko started laughing. Hope suppressed a grin. "But anyways, guess you're stuck here again. With me." Hope pushed down the bad feeling rising in her throat and focused on Flowey. She would not let herself get beaten down like last time. For once in her life, she would defend herself. A weird feeling coursed through her, and Hope was a little taken aback for a moment. She felt...

Perseverance.

A vine shot for her ankle, and she jumped over it with effort. He brought it back just for her to jump over it again, and Flowey smirked.

"So you're not just going to take it this time?" he asked, another vine shooting directly at Hope's head. She leapt to the side just in time, eyes wide.

"Well, I didn't exactly choose to take it last time." she replied, not taking her eyes off him, "I just never really got the chance." Flowey chuckled.

"Hey, you were the one being a wimp." Hope glared before being forced to dodge several vines. "But you kinda got too scared to do anything, and I was not just going to sit there and be bored." Hope dodged another few vines, moving faster this time. "Besides, I don't think the Reader would have enjoyed the story as much if I just let you go. Not enough suspense."

"Not true!" KarmicRetribution yelled from the reviews section and Flowey rolled his eyes. About a dozen vines shot at Hope, forcing her to drop onto her stomach.

"Okay, seriously, who is this Reader?" she demanded, climbing unsteadily back to her feet, "Why are they so important?"

"I'm not telling you." Flowey replied, earning Hope more vines and some white pellets. One shot into her arm, and a burning spread through her limbs.

 _Ah God, I almost forgot how much that hurts._ Maeko hissed, _God dam-_

'Language!'

 _I thought you were too busy to busy to bicker about that!_

'Not this time.' Hope rolled out of the way of a wave of white petals just to move directly in the path of a vine. She gasped, hand shooting up to the gash in her arm. She felt her perseverence beginning to ebb, replaced instead with a desperate panic.

"He he he. Even when you're really trying, you're weak." Flowey mocked, and Hope weaved through the vines launching at her from all angles. "Face it, you're just stalling the inevitable." Hope tried to put all her focus into dodging, but something kept tugging at the back of her mind. Something dark. She dropped into a crouch as another wave of petals flew over her head.

A ring of petals surrounded Hope, and she froze. They began to close in, slowly, and she looked for any exit. There was none.

 _Shit._ Maeko murmured, and Hope silently agreed with her. She closed her eyes for a moment.

'I have an idea, but it's crazy.'

 _Then maybe you shouldn't do it-?_

'It's better than dying.' Maeko winced, then sighed.

 _Please don't kill yourself._ Hope took a deep breath, her eyes snapping open, and shot through the wall of petals. She cried out as the burning erupted from everywhere, more intense than she'd ever felt it.

 _What the hell!?_ Maeko yelled, clenching her shadow fists, _You could have killed us!_

'Well... I didn't.' Hope replied, even her mind voice barely audible. Flowey stared to her, a shocked expression plastered on is face. Hope panted as the pain faded.

"Wow. You're more determined than you let on, huh?" Flowey commented, seeming amused, "That was supposed to kill you."

"I... noticed." Hope managed, still panting. "But I think it's more perseverance than anything." Sweat was starting to bead on her forehead. Tiredness weighed at her limbs, and she only had two HP left. She was in trouble. Flowey's face split into a maniacal grin.

"He he... survive _this_." he challenged, and Hope sagged. More attacks flew at her, and she managed to dodge them all. Jump, duck, sidestep, sidestep, step back, duck, jump... on and on. Her limbs started to burn.

 _Hope I... I don't think... you can.. keep doing this..._ Maeko panted, and Hope's eyebrows furrowed. Maeko was right. One more hit and she was dead. How was she going to make it long enough to get away?

"Sans... where are you?" she questioned frantically as she ducked under another line of petals. She jumped, stumbling slightly on her landing, and a vine swung at her feet. It knocked her feet out from under her, and she fell hard on her back.

"right here." Sans replied, and Hope whipped her head around.

 _You know, his convenient timing never ceases to amaze me._

"hey buddy. i think you're barkin' up the wrong tree here." Sans told Flowey, who growled.

"What? You again? Rgh!" Flowey yelled, hatred igniting in his eyes. "I have to deal with your sh-"

"Language!" Hope shouted, and if looks could kill, Hope would've been dead there. Maeko hunched over from laughter.

 _You- you just- you- wow!_ she finally managed, tears coming to her eyes. Hope pressed her lips together to keep from grinning. Flowey growled at her, and Sans spoke again.

"listen pal," Sans started, noticeably less hostile than last time, "if you know what's good for you, you'll disappear back to where you came from and never come back." Flowey scoffed.

"You know, you said those exact words last time." he commented, and Sans shrugged.

"well, I am lazy." he replied, shrugging. Flowey narrowed his eyes, readying his vines. Sans' eyes narrowed as well.

"alright then. looks like we'll have to do this the hard way." Sans closed his eye sockets for a moment (however that works), and when they opened again, the left one was blue. Flowey was slammed onto the ground, and Hope winced slightly. She didn't have to watch this last time, and she had a feeling it wasn't exactly fun.

"look, buddy, you lost last time." Sans pointed out, teleporting out of the way of a wave of petals before continuing. "what makes you think this time'll be any different?" Several vines shot at lightening fast speed, but Sans teleported out of the way with ease. Flowey growled again. Hope climbed to her feet, watching.

 _I don't think there's a very high chance of Flowey winning._ Maeko commented after watching Sans fire a beam out of some sort of giant monster skull.

'Yeah. He's way more powerful than I thought.' Hope replied, wincing again as Flowey fired a wall of petals at Sans. He just dodged. 'I mean, I knew he wasn't weak, but dang...' Maeko snorted.

 _Uh, yeah. He totally kicks a-butt._ Flowey snarled as several bones impaled his vines, and Sans jumped out of the way of another vine. Flowey was picked up by a blue aura and slammed into the ceiling several times. Hope stared, eyes wide. Maeko just laughed.

'Why are you laughing!?'

 _What do you mean? That little fu-_

'Language!'

 _-deserves it._ Hope continued to watch the battle.

'Um... I'm not sure anyone deserves that.' she murmured as she watched another blue beam fly at Flowey.

 _After what he did?_ Maeko scoffed, glaring darkly, _He deserves all of it and more._ Sans shuffled towards the flower. Flowey hissed and disappeared underground. Hope stared at the spot where he was, eyebrows furrowed, as Sans turned to her.

"welp, glad that one's over." he said, rubbing the back of his skull. Hope nodded.

"Yeah. Me too." she murmured absently, then shook her head to clear it. She turned to Sans and smiled. His gaze searched hers for a moment before he nodded too.

"heh. so you... want to get out of here?" He motioned around him.

"Yeah... that's probably best." Hope replied, faking a smile. She couldn't place it, but for some reason, something felt... off. Like she wasn't out of the woods yet. Almost like something hadn't quite changed the way it was supposed to...

Hope swiftly walked over to Sans and grabbed hold of his sleeve. The world was suddenly all blurred color and sound.

* * *

(A/N Okay, so the feels aren't really that bad here. There's some, but not as intense as some chapters I've made *cough chapter 15 and 16 cough*. It still wasn't exactly a painless experience for Hope, but it was certainly much better than before. And Sans is seriously the master of convenient timing.

But yeah, things are easing up a bit here. It'll probably stay fairly painless (no promises) for these next couple chapters before turning dark again. Probably not as dark as some of these chapters have been (again, no promises). If you liked, please follow, favorite, and review. Happy reading!)


	20. Chapter 20

(Hey guys! Just wanted to thank KarmicRetribution, Minerva Arhedes, Lolqwert, and Lan for their awesome reviews! And Lolqwert, thanks a bunch for your critique, I really appreciate it. I actually went back in the story and rewrote every part with Frisk in it because of what you said.

Hey, I take critique very seriously.)

 **Chapter 20**

Hope gasped as a wall of cold hit her. Sans had just teleported them to Snowdin, right outside of Grillby's. She clutched her arms to her sides.

"Gah! Sans!" she exclaimed, shivering, "You really need to warn me when we're about to go into Snowdin!" The skeleton just shrugged.

"sorry. doesn't seem to **get under my skin** like it does for you." he punned, and Hope smirked

 _Okay, how many times have I heard that pun now?_ Maeko complained, narrowing her eyes. Then she muttered, _This is getting ridiculous._

'Hey, you wanna hear something great?'

 _Not if it's what you are definitely thinking right now._

'What do you call a vampire snowman?'

 _No._

'You call it-'

 _NOOOOOOO!_

'-Frostbite!'

 _Aaaaarrrrgggh!_ Hope grinned to herself as she and Sans walked into Grillby's. Maeko took her the of puns too seriously.

"Hey, Sansy~ Where ya been?" a weird rabbit head... thing greeted. It reminded hope of something you'd see in a cartoon, with its weird swirly eyes and goofy face. Sans waved lazily.

"ah, ya know, around." he replied, shrugging. The rabbit seemed to accept this.

"(Hey Sans!)" a female black-and-white dog holding a spear greeted.

"Hi Sans!" an identical dog, except with a deeper voice, echoed.

"Sans! Greetings!" a monster with a mildly terrifying mouth of teeth greeted.

"Hey Sans," a weird fish monster with a beer belly started, "wasn't the last time you were here at least a few hours ago?"

"heh, yeah." Sans replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "guess I've been too much of a **lazy bones** to even come here." Everyone in the bar just chuckled, and Hope arched an eyebrow. Did Sans seriously come here more than every few hours? Sans grinned.

"Hey, I see something else moving!" a black-and-white spotted dog with shifting eyes barked somewhat accusingly, "What is the moving thing?" Hope's eyes widened slightly. She turned to Sans, who's grin widened microscopically.

"oh, this is just a friend." he answered, shrugging, "she's a friend of frisk." All the monsters instantly relaxed at the mention of the smaller human.

 _Guess Frisk is popular._ Maeko observed. Hope nodded internally.

'I guess so.' Hope smiled lightly as she looked around at all the smiling monsters, all chattering about their experience with Frisk.

"Oh yeah, I know her."

"(She's that weird puppy.)"

"She's the one that pet me without moving!"

"Woof woof!"

"Arf!" Sans walked up to the bar, Hope trailing closely behind. He leaned against the bar on one elbow and grinned up at a fire monster with glasses.

"hey grillby, i'm glad i know sign language." he winked, "it's pretty **handy**." Grillby shook his head and smiled slightly (Hope thought. He didn't exactly have a mouth...). Sans hopped up onto a barstool, his smile wide.

"hey, you comin' kid?" he asked when he saw Hope watching. She grinned and sat down on the stool next to him, hearing a whoopie coushin go off. Her cheeks flushed as she diverted her eyes downward, and about half of the bar laughed. Hope laughed too, embarrassed.

 _Oh my God Sans!_ Maeko groaned, _He's such a joke._

'Literally.' Hope added.

"heh, you gotta watch where you sit around here. sometimes weirdos put weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats." Sans warned, earning a dirty look from Hope. "anyway, you want anything to eat?" Hope narrowed her eyes devilishly. She knew she needed to raise her HP, but there was no way she was missing the opportunity to pun.

"Well, as long as this place has the right stuff. I'm on a sea food diet." she replied, "Every time I see food, I eat it." Sans quirked a skeletal eyebrow.

 _Hope... no. Just, no._

"kid, you're gonna make me **krill** myself." the skeleton punned in response.

" **Whale** , I think I have potential." Hope retorted. Sans narrowed his eyes.

"heh. we better stop before we **drown** in ocean puns."

"What? No, that's not gonna **float**."

" **weed** have to get creative to pull this one off."

"That's fine, as long as things dont't get out of **sand**."

"oh **buoy** , this'll be fun."

 _Can you not?_

"I agree, **chum**."

"i'd say this is going **swimmingly**."

 _Please shut up._

"Yeah. I can't **bait** to see where this goes."

 _Hope, I am asking you nicely._

" **current** -ly, i think this is going well."

" **Water** we waiting for, then?"

 _I'm warning you._

"nothing, i **wreck** -in."

 _Please._

" **Clam** we please continue?"

 _No you can't._

"sure, as long as you don't **flounder**."

 _Hope stop._

"Okay, but I **gill** need to time to think of more."

"i don't mean to be **koi** , but i'm not gonna give you that."

"Fine, but I'm not **fin** -ished."

 _Yes you are, shut up right now._

"okay, but i might give you g- **reef**."

 _Shut up shut up shut up SHUT UP!_ Hope withheld laughter.

'Stop being so **crabby**.' she punned, and she could almost see a nerve snap inside Maeko.

 _That's it, I'm done!_ she pointed a finger at Hope, _If you tell another FREAKING OCEAN PUN, I am going to **krill you in your sleep**! _ Hope burst out laughing, hunching over in her stool.

"Truce!" she gasped to Sans, still laughing hard. She held up a T with her hands. "Truce!" Sans' grin widened.

"what, so are you **fin** -ished?" he punned, "do you not **pike** this anymore?" Hope, who was just starting to regain her composure, covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing again. The skeleton arched an eyebrow. "c'mon don't be a **squid** -er." Tears were forming in Hope's eyes.

 _Oh, just shut up already!_ Maeko snapped in annoyance, _I just made a pun to get you to stop. It's not that funny!_

'You... obviously... don't... get it.' Hope gasped in between breaths. Maeko rolled her eyes.

 _Sometimes I don't get how we have the same soul type._

Hope finally managed to regain her composure, taking a deep breath. Man, she really did laugh at anything. She immediately clutched her painfully aching side, which must have gotten bruised. Grillby gave her and Sans an 'Are you quite finished?' look. Sans' grin remained in place.

"so... do you actually want anythin to eat or...?" Sans asked again, and Hope nodded. Food sounded wonderful.

"Yeah, I'll get something. What are my options?" she asked, and Sans shrugged.

"Welp, you can get a burger, fries, a hot dog, sandwich, a soda, a milkshake-"

"Milkshake?" Hope perked up I instantly at the word. Milkshakes were her all time favorite treat, and she could the number of times she'd had one on one hand. She shied away again. "Uh... can I please have one of those?" Sans quirked an eyebrow at her.

"sure. grillbz, a milkshake and some fries, please." he addressed to flaming bartender, who simply nodded and walked into the back room. Hope watched him leave, frowning faintly. Sans noticed.

"hey what's with the face, kiddo?" he questioned, and Hope looked down at the table.

"I've just... got a lot on my mind." she answered quietly, glancing off to the side. For a moment, she was back in the room with Flowey, blinded and terrified. Sans nodded slightly, seeming to be thinking. Hope sighed.

"I just... I still miss her, you know?" she continued softly, "I still need to find her, and I'm still no closer than I was at the beginning of this stupid journey..." Hope trailed off, not knowing what to say. Not knowing what she could say. She just missed her so much...

"hey, that's okay." Sans replied, glancing off to the side. "it's okay to miss her, and it's okay to be frustrated. i'll get you to her, I promise." Hope nodded absently, wondering how many more terrifying obstacles would appear before that happened. First a flower, then a fish monster, then hypothermia, then a fish warrior. What was next, burning alive in lava?

That was a joke, not foreshadowing, I promise.

 _Hey... I didn't ever tell you about the Reader, did I?_ Maeko sort of asked, more like stated. Hope inwardly shook her head.

'Yeah, who are they?' Hope asked, 'And why does Flowey keep referencing them? He seemed to think they were important, so...' Maeko paused.

 _Well... the Reader is kinda strange, actually._ she started, _The reader... well, reads. By reader, I mean like the reader of a book._ Hope stared at the table, frowning.

'Umm... what?' Maeko sighed slightly.

 _Yeeeaaah, it's kinda hard to explain. Um..._ she stared at her shadow feet, _Well, sometimes lives are illustrated, well, written, as stories. We're inside one of those... stories._ Hope's eyes widened.

'You're saying I'm a character... in a book.' Hope reiterated, and Maeko sighed.

 _Well... yeah, I guess._

'So I'm not real!?' she asked, almost panicked, and Maeko waved her hands in front of her.

 _No no no, you're perfectly real!_ she assured, and Hope stared, _You just exist in an... alternate reality of sorts. Every book is an alternate reality, and in that reality, they are perfectly real. We are all real, where we are right now. Somewhere, however, we are simply characters in a book._ Hope nodded slowly, then switched to nodding inwardly.

'So... we're real, but we're not real at the same time.'

 _Pretty much._ Hope took a moment to take this all in. There might as well be a sign reading "insert life altering moment here", because that's pretty much how she was feeling right about now.

'So... what are books, then?' she asked, and Maeko sighed heavily.

 _You know what? Another time._ Maeko brushed away the question, then muttered, _Jeez, I'm starting to feel like the parent with the kid who asks too many questions after the birds and bees talk._ Hope burst out laughing, earning a weird look from Sans.

"Sorry, just thought of something funny." she explained awkwardly, and Sans nodded. Looks like she still needed to work on keeping her conversations with Maeko inward.

"you're weirder than you let on, huh?" he commented. Hope laughed.

"You could say that." The two sat in silence for a minute, listening to the friendly chatter of the bar. Grillby came back with the milkshake and fries, making extra sure that none of the condensation from the glass got on his hand, and Sans thanked him with a pun. Hope sipped on the treat thoughtfully, enjoying the warm (but still somehow cold?) feeling of the healing magic.

"so... kid. there's somethin' i wanted to talk to you about." Sans started. Hope's eyes flicked over to him.

 _Okay, thaaaaat's never a promising way to start a conversation._

"so... I know there were a few 'Resets' or 'Reloads' or whatever recently." he continued, and Hope's eyebrows furrowed.

"How do you know that?" she asked. Didn't all monsters forget about those? Sans shrugged.

"i can remember them." Hope stiffened. He remembered? "that's part of what i wanted to talk about." Hope looked down. She didn't like where this was going.

"i know what flowey... did. and other things." Hope nodded, still refusing to make eye contact. "do you... wanna talk about it?" A million thoughts rushed through her head at that moment, the most prominent being heck no, please talk I need someone to talk to, and what the heck was am I supposed to do now.

"No, if you don't mind." she answered. Sans nodded.

"okay, that's fine," he shrugged, "but I am here if you ever do want to talk." Hope nodded, her thoughts elsewhere. Part of her screamed at her for not accepting his offer, and the other part said she was selfish for making him worry. Apparently her answer wasn't good enough for either.

"Okay." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sans spoke.

"do you want to leave?" Hope was taken aback for a moment, and she stared at the skeleton. He was dead serious.

"Leave?" she asked, more to herself. Did she want to leave? "Well... not really." she responded honestly. Sans nodded. Hope continued, the words just sort of tumbling out, "I mean, before, it was just Frisk and me. Now, well..." She smiled. "You've been helping me from the beginning, pretty much, and so has Alphys. Even Papyrus tried his best. I've never really had that before. I want to get to know you all better. Before, I thought getting to know people would only cause me pain, so... I didn't. But now..." Hope paused, closing her eyes to help her focus her thoughts. "Now that I have that, I don't really want to let it go, you know?" Sans nodded thoughtfully. Hope smiled a light smile, which faded quickly. "Why do you ask?" Sans' pupils drifted off to the side.

"well, there is a way out of here." Sans informed, and Hope raised her eyebrows.

What!? Why didn't anyone tell her this before!?

 _You were too busy getting the crap beat out of you._

"frisk's actually heading there right now. from what I've seen, she wants to go." Sans continued, Hope nodded. That didn't actually surprise her much, when she thought about it. Frisk could have kind of a one-track mind, and she could be really stubborn at times.

Or determined. Whichever.

"Oh. Well, if it's what Frisk wants, then I'll go." she replied firmly, forcing a smile. Sans grin was strained.

 _Y'know Hope, you don't always have to be selfless._ Maeko reminded softly, _If you want to stay, then stay. I'm sure Frisk wouldn't mind._

'I can't keep her here. She'd probably just be unhappy.' Hope responded, closing her eyes, 'I don't want that.'

 _But you don't deserve to be unhappy, either._

'I'll be fine. Besides,' Hope smiled inwardly, 'as long as I'm with her, I'll be happy.' Maeko frowned, but didn't protest. Sans sighed.

"yeah, I was afraid you'd say that." he closed his eyesockets. Hope stared questioningly. "you see, leaving here doesn't come without a cost. and that cost ain't small." Cost? What cost? What was he talking about? Hope waited for him to continue.

"see, there's this thing called the barrier that seals all us monsters underground." the skeleton began, looking back at Hope, "only a very powerful soul can pass through. monster souls," He tapped his own chest, "aren't powerful enough to pass through on their own, not even boss monsters. it'd take almost every soul in the underground to match the power of just one human soul, and even a human soul can't pass through alone." He looked up.

"asgore, our king, has been trying to break the barrier for a long time. in order to do that, he needs seven human souls." Sans paused, taking a deep breath, "currently, he has six. with seven souls, he'll be able to destroy the barrier and free all of monsterkind. heh..." Sans stopped, and Hope just stared. Souls? The monsters were trying to kill her and Frisk to get their souls!?

"So Asgore... wants our souls?" Hope asked timidly. Sans nodded.

"uh, yeah." Sans scratched the back of his skull, then looked back at Hope. She stared into space, thinking.

"So... a human soul can't pass through the Barrier alone, right?" she asked slowly. Sans nodded. "So... can two pass through the Barrier together?" Sans sighed.

" 'fraid not, kiddo. you'd have to take a monster soul with you." Hope's eyes widened. Take a monster's soul? That meant she'd have to...

Oh.

So getting out of the Underground was possible. But... a monster had to die in order to make that possible. Actually, _two_ monsters might have to die, considering that they would have to get both her and Frisk through the Barrier. And she didn't think she could do that, even if it meant freedom. And she didn't think Frisk could either. No, scratch that. She _knew_ Frisk couldn't do that.

Frisk wouldn't ever hurt anyone.

"I see." she finally spoke, then sighed. "Well, if people would have to die for us to leave, then we're not leaving. Plain and simple." Sans nodded.

"heh. i figured you'd say that." Sans replied, and Hope smiled.

"Yeah, I'm kinda predictable." Hope shrugged, and Sans' grin widened slightly. Hope closed her eyes, still smiling. She could feel Maeko's doubt.

 _I know you're scared. Don't pretend._ she insisted, _You're afraid of what Asgore will do, I can feel it._ Hope sighed.

'Yes, I'm afraid. What else is new?' she replied patiently, 'I'm always scared, but that's not what matters. What matters is that I persevere.' She opened her eyes and smiled at Sans.

'No matter what.'

* * *

(A/N Hullo all yo peeps. How's life. Good? Good. If it's not good, well...

Persevere!

Alright, so some fluff. And some much needed answers for Hope. I mean, seriously, she may not have been blind anymore, but she was seriously in the dark. Plus I wanted to add in a pun war. You guys have no idea exactly how much I enjoy writing those. And man, I have no idea why, but this was by far the hardest chapter for me to write. It just fought me every step of the way. I kept typing like five paragraphs, then deciding it was too wordy and retyping those five paragraphs, then deciding I didn't even like that part of the scene anymore. It was really frustrating! But I'm done now (and I'm actually at home now, so I have my computer :) ).

But things are good, for once. Sans gave explanations, Maeko gave much more confusing and 'What the heck!?' explanations, and Hope is perseverant. Ye! Please follow, favorite, and review if you enjoyed this, and happy reading!)


	21. Chapter 21

(A/N Thank you Dekkasaurus and KarmicRetribution for your reviews! This isn't really very feelsy, so you're all good, FYI.

For now.)

 **Chapter 21**

Sans stared at the kid, starting to wonder what was going on in her head. Though she had told him she was being honest, he didn't really believe her. There was something she still hid behind that smile.

Heh. That made two of them.

Sans shrugged it off. Whatever it was, he figured he'd just let it be for now. At least until all this crazy stuff died down.

"so, i'm guessing you wanna be on your way, huh?" he asked Hope, and she nodded. Then she giggled, glancing over at Lesser Dog.

"Am I the only one who thinks he really wants to be pet?" she asked, smiling widely. Sans grinned. "I mean, he looks so lonely over there all by himself."

"oh, don't worry. he always wants to be pet. all the dogs love it." he answered. Hope stared at Lesser Dog for a moment before asking.

"Can I-?"

"yes, if you want to." Hope giggled, hopping out of her chair and walking over to Lesser Dog. She said something to him, and his tail wagged a million miles per hour. His neck stretched out as she pet him. She laughed, paused, then laughed even harder. Sans just shook his head and looked down. This kid was a lot like her sister, beneath her pain.

Maybe if she stayed here, she could be really happy. It was a lot to hope for, but with time and friends...

"uh, are you done yet?" he asked her as Lesser Dog's head touched the ceiling. He didn't seem to care. Hope looked over at him, cheeks reddening slightly. She laughed.

"Maybe..." she replied, then laughed more. She covered her hand with her mouth and nodded, walking over to him. Sans rolled his magical pupils.

"i hold to what I said earlier. you're way weirder than you let on." he told her, and she grinned. She grabbed his sleeve, and they teleported into Alphys' lab.

* * *

Hope stifled more laughter as they teleported away from Grillby's. Maeko had been ridiculing her the whole time she was petting Lesser Dog, and she could barely handle it anymore.

 _You have a problem._ she said, rolling her eyes.

'Yup.' She appeared in Alphys' lab right next to Sans, and she narrowed her eyes. Why did they always have to stop here?

"i just have to run an errand before we go anywhere." Sans explained quickly, and Hope was about to protest when he teleported away. She frowned.

'Why does he always do that?'

 _Beats me. I'm more interested in what errands he, of all people, has to do._ Maeko replied, and Hope shrugged.

'Maybe he's a busy guy?' Hope offered, and Maeko scoffed, 'Hey, he's deeper than you think.' There was a scrambling from upstairs, and Alphys came running down the escalator.

"Oh, h-hi Hope!" she greeted, nervously pushing slipping her glasses up her nose, "What are y-you doing here?" Hope shrugged.

"Uh, well, Sans just kinda dumped me off." Hope replied, scratching the back of her head, "He said he has some 'errands' to attend to." Alphys nodded hurriedly, glancing over at a screen before looking back at Hope.

"O-oh, okay! That's fine..." she muttered, looking at the groud. Hope smiled lightly. She heard audio from the screen on the far wall and glanced that way. The smile dissolved from her face and her mouth dropped into a small o.

"Uh, Alphys...?" she asked, and Alphys followed her gaze. The screen displayed what appeared to be a live camera feed, currently scrolling over an area not too different from that which Hope had seen earlier in Hotland. Frisk was the focus, and she was currently standing in front of a blue monster, talking. Alphys flushed deep red.

"Oh yeah, t-that. U-uh..." Alphys wrung her hands nervously in front of her, examining the ground. Hope's gaze darted over to her.

"I knew you were watching her, but... okay." she started, "I mean, I really shouldn't be surprised. She's on TV, for pete's sake!" Alphys nodded, grimacing. Hope smiled apologetically.

"Um, y-yeah. Sorry." she muttered, and looked off to the side for a moment. Hope shrugged.

"It's fine. Don't be sorry." she assured, and Alphys looked up, "I was just a bit surprised is all." The scientist nodded, still staring at her feet. Hope sighed. Ugh, now she made Alphys feel bad...

 _Yup, you made things awkward._

'You really need to stop snooping around my thoughts.'

 _Do you have any idea how hard it is to resist?_ Maeko retorted, _Every thought you have passes right by me, and it's really freaking hard to ignore_. Hope rolled her eyes.

"Hey, what kind of work do you do here?" she asked out loud, trying to steer the conversation. Alphys looked up.

She continued to play with her hands, then answered, "Oh, well, I-I'm the Royal Scientist." Hope's eyes widened in awe.

"Royal Scientist? Wow, that's great!" she cheered with an impressed smile, and Alphys smiled shyly, "Isn't that hard?"

"Well, s-sometimes, but not normally." the Royal Scientist replied, not playing with her hands anymore, "I design new t-technology for the Underground. I invented the U-Undernet based off something I saw in an a-anime, and I've done other things too." Hope smiled, listening. Alphys laughed only slightly nervously.

"You also invented this type of technology." Hope pointed out, taking her phone out of her pocket. Alphys nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I g-guess." she looked at the ground for a moment, then jumped slightly. "O-oh, I almost forgot!" She motioned to the device in Hope's hand. "Can I see t-that? There's a feature that needs to be r-repaired." Hope nodded, handing over her phone.

 _I'll bet a hundred dollars she's going to completely remodel it._ Maeko challenged, and Hope smiled.

'I'm not taking you up on that one.' Maeko laughed.

 _'Cause I'm right._ Alphys scampered upstairs with the phone in hand, and Hope sighed softly. Alphys was so cute. She wondered if there was any reason for her nervousness or if it was just natural. It could be either, really. There wasn't really much of a difference between the two.

Well, one small thing.

The smile dissolved from her face, and she was suddenly anxious. She glanced up at the screen. Right now, Frisk was dashing up a long flight of stairs, an exhilarated smile lighting up her face. She tripped and fell forward, catching herself and running again like nothing happened. Hope gasped slightly, then laughed. Her sister was one tough cookie.

Frisk slowed as she neared the top of the stairway, then stopped at the top. She smiled excitedly and bounced on the pads of her feet. Hope gaped.

Sans?

"hey." he greeted Frisk, "i heard you're going to the core." She nodded, and he continued, "how about grabbing some dinner with me first?" Frisk smiled brightly and gave him a thumbs-up. He grinned. "great. thanks for treating me." The little girl giggled and followed him, the two suddenly disappearing in a brief swirl of color and light. The camera cut out for a moment before finding them again inside the restaurant.

 _So this was his errand._ Maeko thought out loud (sort of), and Hope continued to stare.

'Okay, _why_ wasn't I allowed to go with?' she questioned, suddenly feeling rather irritated, 'He's going to see Frisk. Isn't that exactly what _I'm_ doing?' Maeko shrugged.

 _Maybe he has something really important to tell her? Without you knowing?_

'What about the screen?'

 _Guess he's not very good at planning._ Hope pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh. She had her doubts about that theory, but it was funny to think about. Frisk and Sans were talking now, and Hope began to listen. She hoped she hadn't missed too much.

"so." Sans began, "your journey's almost over, huh? you must really wanna go home." Frisk nodded, frowning slightly.

"hey. i know the feeling, buddo." Sans assured, looking distant, "though... maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you." Frisk stared. "down here you've got food, drink, friends... is what you have to do... really worth it?" Frisk looked down, then back up at him, shrugging. Sans closed his eyes for a moment

"ah, forget it." he shrugged, "i'm rootin' for ya, kid." He looked away, and Hope thought. Was he doing this on her behalf? Reminding Frisk of how good she had it here so she wouldn't want to go back? Frisk slouched forward in her seat and tapped on her legs impatiently.

"...let me tell you a story." Sans said and Frisk grinned expectantly, suddenly excited. Hope smiled. "so, i'm a sentry in snowdin forest, right? i sit out there and watch for humans. it's kind of boring. fortunately, deep in the forest... there's this HUGE locked door, and it's perfect for practicing knock knock jokes." Hope laughed softly. Only Sans would see a giant wooden door and want to practice _knock knock jokes_ on it. Frisk smiled comfortably, the same way she did whenever Hope read her one of her favorite stories.

"so one day, i'm knocking 'em out, like usual. i knock on the door and say 'knock knock.' and suddenly, from the other side... i hear a woman's voice. 'who is there?' so, naturally, i respond 'dishes.' 'dishes who?' 'dishes a very bad joke.' " he grinned, "then she just howls with laughter, like it's the best joke she's heard in a hundred years. so i keep 'em comin', and she keeps laughing. she's the best audience I've ever had." Hope thought for a moment.

'Is he talking about Toriel?'

 _I think so._ Maeko shrugged, _I mean, I don't know of any other women who live behind giant locked doors in a forest._ Hope grinned.

'True.'

"then," Sans continued, "after a dozen of 'em, SHE knocks and says... 'knock knock!' i say 'who's there?' 'old lady.' 'old lady who?' 'oh! i did not know you could yodel!' wow." Sans' grin widened. "needless to say, this woman was extremely good." Maeko rolled her eyes.

 _Okay, anyone with Sans' sense of humor is not 'extremely good'._ she huffed.

'What about me?'

 _You make terrible puns._

'You just don't know talent when you see it.'

"...papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story." Sans continued, snapping Hope back to reality. Frisk and Hope giggled. Frisk didn't actually seem very surprised, which made Maeko laugh.

"but she told me to come by again, and so i did. then i did again. and again. it's a thing now." he explained, "telling bad jokes through the door. it rules." He paused, his grin shrinking slightly. Frisk's eyes began to wander, and she swung her feet the way she did when she was bored.

"...one day, though, i noticed she wasn't laughing very much." Sans started again, and Hope watched intently, "i asked her what was up. then she told me something strange." He looked distant, and Frisk still wasn't really paying much attention. " 'if a human ever comes through this door... could you please, please promise something? watch over them, and protect them, will you not?' " Frisk's stopped swinging her feet, seemingly bracing herself slightly. Hope's eyebrows furrowed. "now, i hate making promises. and this woman, i don't even know her name, but... someone who sincerely likes bad jokes... has an integrity you can't say 'no' to. do you get what i'm saying?" Hope watched, instinctively crossing her arms over her chest as a barrier. Frisk stared at him, like she knew what he was about to say and didn't want to hear it.

"that promise i made to her... you know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything? buddy." Hope gasped quietly as his eyesockets went dark. Frisk squirmed uncomfortably. " **You'd be dead where you stand.** " His pupils returned, and he closed his eyes for a moment. Hope stared, just a little scared for Frisk. If he dare lay a finger on her...

"...hey, lighten up, bucko!" he prodded, returning to his normal, laid-back attitude, "i'm just joking with you." Frisk relaxed, fiddling with her hands in her lap. Hope stared intently. "besides.. haven't i done a great job protecting you? i mean, look at yourself. you haven't died a single time." Hope sighed heavily and stared at Sans disbelievingly. Seriously? She had died many times, and he knew it. Frisk giggled and shook her head. Sans quirked an eyebrow. "hey, what's that look supposed to mean? am i wrong...?" Frisk just giggled again.

 _That dirty liar._

"heh." Sans slid out of his chair and walked a little away from the table. "guess that's all. take care of yourself, kid, 'cause someone really cares about you." Frisk smiled in her optimistic, innocent way, and Sans gave a two fingered wave before disappearing.

Hope stared, eyebrows knitted together, thinking. What was that all about? Why would he tell an innocent little girl she'd be "dead where she stands" if it weren't for Toriel? He must know that could have been scary for her, though she had taken it lighter than Hope had been expecting. The sound of someone teleporting startled her out of her thoughts.

"H-hi Sans!" Alphys greeted him, hurrying down the escalator. Hope turned towards him just in time to see his wave.

"heya alph." he replied. Alphys hurried over to Hope, holding a little device.

"I fixed you phone. You can h-have it b-back now." she said, handing it to Hope. The phone was noticeably heavier. Hope flipped it open to see if there were any new installments and, sure enough, there were two new buttons labelled hand sanitizer and flashlight.

"Hand sanitizer?" Hope read out loud, and Sans arched an eyebrow. Maeko laughed so hard she hunched over. Alphys flushed slightly.

"U-uh, yeah. You know, j-just in c-case..." Alphys mumbled, and Hope bit her bottom lip. Okay, the other options were weird, but this was just ridiculous.

 _How does the science behind that work? I mean, how on earth do you store hand sanitizer in a phone?_

'Same as the Dimensional Boxes, maybe?'

 _But how do_ those _work?_

"Oh. Right." Hope replied, examining the phone with skepticality. Then she turned to Sans, eyes narrowed. "Okay Sans, _why_ did you have to go on your errand to see Frisk without me?" Sans' grin remained firm.

"had some things i had to say." he replied simply, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "the effect woulda been ruined with you there." Hope's eyes narrowed.

"What things? What couldn't you have said when I was there?" she questioned, and Sans shrugged.

"it would've ruined the effect."

"What effect? You mean trying to scare her straight?" Hope scoffed, then shook her head, "She hasn't hurt anyone. I was afriad you were going to hurt her for a second there." Sans chuckled, raising his skeletal eyebrows.

"you worry kind of a lot. you know that?" he pointed out, and Hope sighed.

"Yeah. I've noticed." They both grinned, and Hope shook her head. Sans might have his own weird reasons, but he didn't mean any harm. It certainly might give Frisk something to think about, though...

"so, should we get going?" Sans asked, and Hope nodded. She walked over to him, then smiled back at Alphys.

"Thanks for the phone upgrade." she said, and Alphys smiled lightly.

Oh, no p-problem! Thanks for c-coming by!" she replied, and waved. Hope waved back, then grabbed hold of Sans' sweatshirt. Then, in a motion she was quickly getting used to, they teleported away.

* * *

(A/N Sup yo homie bros! Sorry, that's one of my friend's favorite phrases. I had to use it.

Anyway, nice chapter here. I apologize for submitting it a day late. For some reason, this chapter was almost as hard to write as last one. Maybe even a little harder. I kept sitting down at the computer, ready to write, and accomplishing... nothing. I sort of just sat there just staring at the screen, trying to force my brain to make words. That was fun. But today was much easier, so I finished writing and revising and shtuff.

Um, just a warning... next chapter is prolly gonna be pretty intense. This chapter was basically just people talking and Hope going "What the heck Sans." Next chapter is... well, definitely not that.

So yeah, cooleo. But if you like this, please follow, favorite, and review, and happy reading!)


	22. Chapter 22

(A/N I'm so sorry I didn't mean to keep you all waiting so long but life happened and I feel so bad because I'm almost a week late and I'm really really sorry! School started, and so did sports, and then birthdays and insecurities and on top of the whole big mess, this whole chapter just felt so _wrong_ , you know? Like every time I looked at it, it just felt forced. I just couldn't figure out how to make it better. I kept opening up the book I was reading and examining the text structure to try to gain inspiration from that. It helped immensely, actually. But yeah.

Also, thanks KarmicRetribution and BlackHeart303 for your awesome review! And angst warning here. No actual flashbacks this time, but there is a pretty intense scene near the end.)

 **Chapter 22**

 _Didn't she just leave here?_ Maeko asked as the duo teleported just outside the MTT building. Hope looked up at the building, then back at Sans.

'Yeah, we did. Hang on.'

"Why are we here, Sans?" she questioned out loud. He shrugged.

"eh, sorry kid. i'm just a little worked to the **bone** , that's all." he answered, and Hope noticed for the first time how tired he looked. Bags had formed under his eyes and his smile was strained. Maybe she should let him rest...

"You know, we can rest if you want," she said slowly, "You look like you need it." Sans shook his head.

"nah, i've pulled off worse. we can just walk for a little while." he replied, and Hope searched his gaze for a moment. She was almost positive he _had_ pulled off worse, but that didn't mean she _wanted_ him to. Though, she supposed they needed to keep moving. She looked away.

"Okay. If you're okay with it." she replied, and they walked into the building. Inside, there was a large, fancy lobby. To the left was an entryway to some restaurant, and to the right was a hallway with many doors, probably hotel rooms. Directly in front of them was a giant statue of Mettaton. It spit water, which just collected on the ground. Hope also spotted a receptionist's counter, a large opening to outside, and another restaurant.

"Hm. Nice place." Hope observed, and Sans nodded.

"yeah. i'm pretty sure you have an idea of who it was built for." he replied, gesturing to the statue. Hope grinned

"Yeah, I have a pretty good guess." she answered. They walked through the lobby and through the opening in the back. Outside, there was a large bridge connecting the resort to a large, metal contraption. Hope looked up at it. "What's that, Sans?" He glanced up momentarily.

"That's the Core." he answered, "It creates electricity for the whole Underground."

"Hm." Hope looked up at the giant structure in awe. It looked pretty complicated, and she began to wonder how long it must have taken to build it.

 _Logically, it looks like it would probably run on thermal energy,_ Maeko started, talking more to herself than Hope, _but this looks way more complicated than that._ Hope shrugged.

'It looks cool.'

 _That's not a scientific observation._

'I'm not a very science-y type of person.'

 _Gasp!_

Sans and Hope continued on through the entrance of the Core. Wires and lights covered the wall, twisting and intertwining, all leading off in different directions.

"Okay, you can label me impressed." Hope said, her eyebrows raised as she looked around.

"heh, yeah. you really don't want to get lost here." he replied, "this place is basically just a giant maze. thankfully, there's an elevator right here." He stopped in front of the doors of said elevator and pressed one of the buttons on the side. The elevator dinged like it was about to open, but remained closed. Sans' skeletal eyebrows furrowed. "that's... not supposed to happen." he said quietly, pressing the button again. The elevator doors still refused to open. Sans sighed, sliding a hand down his face.

"welp. looks like we're taking the scenic route." he finally spoke, answering the unsaid question.

"Do you know the way?" Hope asked, eyebrows knitting together.

"somewhat." He shrugged. Hope sighed. She really hoped he didn't get them lost. That wouldn't be very fun, especially with Sans' inability to teleport as of right now. She smiled lightly. There was a long pause.

"Okay. Well, I'll follow your lead." she finally said. Sans nodded, turning to the path to his right and starting down that way. Hope followed obediently.

The two walked for what had to be at least half an hour, taking a left and then a right, then two lefts and another right, then straight. Hope followed Sans all the while, remaining patient with him. Maeko, however, was the complete opposite.

 _Oh my GOD Sans!_ she groaned, glaring at the skeleton with invisible eyes, _Can you please stop being incompetent for once in your life!?_

'Calm down Maeko. He's doing his best.' Hope tried to reason, narrowing her eyes.

 _Please._ I _could have gotten us through faster._ Maeko retorted, scoffing. Hope rolled her eyes internally.

'Maeko, we have no idea how big this place is. For all we know, we're actually going the right way.' she replied. Maeko sighed exaggeratedly.

 _Doubt it._

"Hey, do you have any idea how close we are?" Hope asked Sans, cutting off Maeko before she could complain any more. She may be a good friend and guide and all, but sometimes her negativity was aggravating.

"not really." he answered honestly.

 _I told you. He's incompetent._ Maeko gloated, smirking triumphantly. Hope stopped, trying to keep her fists from clenching, and took a deep breath.

'Just because no one else can hear your pessimism doesn't mean you have to pelt me with it 24/7.' Hope informed, irritated, 'If you have something mean to say, you can keep it to yourself like everybody else.' Maeko gave her a dirty look, then stuck out her tongue out. Hope sighed. 'You know, for someone who claims to be more mature than me, you don't always act like it.'

Maeko scoffed. _You can just shut up!_

'Please, Maeko, just stop.'

 _No, you can stop pestering me! I'm going to say whatever the hell I want!_

'Language.'

 _You can just shut the f-_

'Wait Maeko stop!' Hope interrupted, and Maeko stopped. Hope looked up, realizing with a sinking that Sans was gone. 'Uh... do you know where Sans went?'

 _Uh... no._ Maeko answered, eyes wide.

Hope nodded slightly, her eyes darting around. "Uh... Sans?" she called out tentatively, jumping at the noise behind her. She slowly stepped that way, turning a corner.

No one was there.

"Sans?" she called out again, nervousness creeping into her voice. Only silence greeted her.

 _Okay, that's really not good._ Maeko said, starting to sound a little nervous herself, _Try calling him._ Hope nodded, pulling the phone out of her pocket. She flipped it open and pressed the power button, watching as the tiny screen lit up. She looked in the contacts list, her heart sinking.

'I thought she at least gave me her number.' Hope murmured quietly, staring at the blank list.

 _Great. We have a phone we can't even use._ Maeko muttered, gritting her teeth. She took a deep breath. _I guess we'll have to find him ourselves._ Hope nodded, then looked around. There were no signs of him anywhere. No footprints, no noise, nothing. Just the whirring of mechanical life in the walls.

"Sans, are you here?" Hope asked, turning another corner. Empty. She backtracked until she reached the place Sans last was, which happened to be a four way intersection, and decided to go left. That led to another intersection, and she went right this time.

 _Um... do you have any idea where we are?_ Maeko asked after a series of lefts, rights, and backtracking.

'I did... about five minutes ago.' Hopes replied, turning right, then looked back down at her phone. The screen, which was lit up just a moment ago, was now dark. Not like it really mattered.

Maeko sighed in a mix of frustration and concern. Do _you know how to get back to where we were?_

'As of right now, no.'

Maeko pinched the bridge of her nose, grimacing. _That's it. You are completely, utterly lost._

'Yeah, that sounds about right.'

"Sans?" Hope called out loud, her voice sounding strained and tired. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Sans!" She heard a shuffling and froze. "Sans, is that you?" The shuffling stopped, and Hope dashed toward the noise. She darted into another hallway and skidded to a halt, the area empty. An odd shadow lurked in the corner.

"Hello?" Hope called, staring at the shadow. It shifted, then took on the vague shape of a person. Hope's eyes widened, and she stared at the creature. Everything around them turned back and white.

 _Knight Knight attacks!_ Maeko exclaimed. The monster loomed in front of Hope, still being at least two feet taller than her despite being on one knee. It wore a full suit of armor with a face on the chestplate and held a staff of some sort in its hand.

'How did you know what it was called?' Hope questioned, not taking her eyes off Knight Knight.

 _Hey, I did my research during my time down here,_ Maeko replied, shrugging, _I know about pretty much every monster that exists._

The four orange boxes appeared around Hope, and she looked over them nervously. It'd been a while since she last did this...

 _Press ACT._ Maeko instructed, _Then choose Sing._ Hope followed Maeko's directions, thinking for a moment before quietly humming a familiar tune. Knight Knight started to look sleepy.

"Close your eyes..." it murmured, slamming its staff on the ground. A white moon appeared above Hope's head, flashing briefly. Little rocket ships flew down diagonally. Hope dodged, eyes wide, and just barely managed to escape unharmed. Knight Knight quietly observed.

 _Okay, Sing again._ Maeko said as the boxes reappeared. Hope chose Sing, then continued the tune she started earlier. Knight Knight fell asleep.

 _He's snoring._ Maeko pointed out, chuckling. Hope smiled, pressing MERCY and then Spare. Color returned to her surroundings.

 _You won! You should have earned 70 gold, I think._ Maeko informed. Hope looked towards the now snoring Knight Knight. Taking extra care to stay quiet, she padded out of the hall.

'So... what should I do now?' she asked, the previous nervousness returned, 'I still don't know where Sans is.'

Maeko frowned. _Well_ , _I guess you should just keep looking for him, for now._ she responded. Hope nodded. It seemed like the most logical way to go. She had only taken a few steps when the world went dark.

Hope gasped, eyes widening, and whipped her head back and fourth. Only darkness greeted her. Her breathing became unsteady, pressure building in her chest.

 _What? No, wha, how!?_ Maeko tried, also seeming to be struggling for breath, _You-you, this- This isn't possible!_ Hope trembled, stepping forward. She shook so badly she could hardly stand.

 _"What, you think someone is going to help you?" he laughed, "Think again."_

 _"I'm the only one that cares about you. Don't you understand that?"_

Hope froze, trembling uncontrollably. No no no no.

 _"Oh, you're_ scared _, aren't you?"_

 _"_ Die _."_

She stepped backwards, trying to back away from something that didn't exist. Hope tripped over nothing and fell back. She covered the back of her head just in time to save it from hitting the ground.

 _"Why do I even try to help you?"_

 _"No one is going to save you."_

 _"I'm sorry Hope, but you have to learn these things."_

"Stop!" she shouted, tears forming in her eyes.

 _"Waste of space."_

 _"Useless."_

 _"Worthless."_

"STOP!" she screamed, clapping her hands over her ears. Sobs wracked her body and she squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to open them and see nothing. She pulled her knees up to her chest.

 _"I'm only doing this because I love you."_

 _Stop this!_

 _"You're all alone."_

 _STOP IT!_ Maeko yelled, louder than Hope had ever heard before, and the voices ceased. Slowly, Hope opened her eyes, blinking a few times. Her vision had returned.

'...Maeko?' she called into her mind, afraid her friend had left. She could hardly feel her the way she normally could. Silence remained for a few deafening seconds.

 _Yeah, I'm here._ she replied, her voice slightly muffled. It almost sounded as if she had been crying. She took a shuddering breath. _Have you ever considered that maybe you have... I don't know, maybe, PTSD?_

Hope smiled weakly. 'Y-yeah, I've had the thought.' She laughed shakily, and her smile faded. She buried her head in her knees. 'What just happened?'

Maeko hesitated, then replied, _I'm... not sure,_ _but I don't think it'll happen again._

Hope nodded slowly, wanting so badly to believe her but somehow not able to. 'What... what if it does happens again?' she asked, fear slowly building in her chest, 'What if I have another panic attack, and Sans is gone again? What if I'm somewhere dangerous? What if I panic and Frisk is in danger? What if-'

 _Whoa, hang on there,_ Maeko stopped her, _Don't think about all the what-ifs. If you start to panic, I'll just yank you out again._

Hope stopped, considering. '... Are you sure you'll always be able to?'

 _You obviously underestimate me,_ Maeko replied, flexing her thin arms, _I am a beast made of pure strength. Nothing is stronger than me._

Hope giggled. 'Yeah.' she paused, then sighed, her smile fading, 'I'm a mess, aren't I?' Maeko smiled gently.

 _Y_ _eah, you're a mess,_ she answered, _but you're my mess, and I'm gonna mess up everyone who did this to you._

* * *

(A/N ...

Well, I warned ya. That got kinda intense there in the end third. But hey, at least Maeko stepped in again, right?

Anyway, sorry if this chapter's not the greatest, especially since it is very late. Like I said earlier, it took forever for me to read it over and not cringe. Hopefully it looks better to you than it does to me?

And no KarmicRetribution, what you said did not alter this chapter. This has been planned for, like, a month.

But yeah. Please follow, favorite, and review if you liked this, and happy reading!)


	23. Chapter 23

(I'm really sorry for how ridiculously late this is. What's it been, a month? More, probably? I honestly have no idea. But I'm still working on this, don't worry. It's just a lot slower going than it was before. There won't be a schedule from here on out, by the way. At this point, I'm basically just writing whenever I have time, which isn't often. I just can't keep up a concrete schedule anymore. But yeah, updates will be pretty random from here on out.

And thank you KaricRetribution and Disney Syndulla for your awesome reviews! I know you wrote those a while ago, but I still wanted to recognize you for them.)

 **Chapter 23**

Frisk approached the two doorways, having just pulled the stick from her inventory. She didn't really need it, nor did she plan on using it, but its presence in her hands made her feel more secure. This place gave her shivers. She brushed her hand over a sparkling little Save point.

 _Behing this door must be the elevator to the King's castle. You're filled with determination. File saved._

Frisk nodded, smiling, and turned toward the two doorways. One was identical to the elevator in the beginning of the Core, and the other was surrounded by blinking red lights. She took a deep breath, clutching the stick closer to her chest, and stepped through the doorway.

The inside of the room was narrow at first, leading on until it opened up ahead on a spotlighted Mettaton. Frisk edged forward until she was about ten feet from the robot.

"OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLING," he began. Frisk clutched her stick a little tighter. "IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT. NOT!" He paused dramatically. Frisk frowned.

"MALFUNCTIONING? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL," he continued, "THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME." Frisk's frown deepened. She knew this whole thing was a TV show from the start. Is that what he was talking about? And what did Alphys have to do with this? Plus, she didn't really know what 'malfunctioning' or 'reprogramming meant, so that was a bit difficult to decipher...

"AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY." Frisk's shoulders slumped slightly. Sensing her confusion, the robot continued. "SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME-" Mettaton made a grand sweeping gesture towards himself, "-TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON... THAT SHE'S NOT." Frisk stared in confusion for a few more seconds before her eyes widened, understanding crashing over her one big wave. Alphys was lying to her? No, that couldn't be true. Alphys was nice. _Mettaton_ was the bad guy! He had to be lying.

"Lying!" she shouted, balling her little fists, "Liar!" Mettaton just chuckled.

"I'M NOT LYING, DARLING," he cooed in reply, as if coaxing a young child, "ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU THE WHOLE TIME, AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR 'BATTLE', SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO 'DEACTIVATE' ME, 'SAVING' YOU ONE FINAL TIME." He paused, and Frisk narrowed her eyes. He _was_ lying, wasn't he?

"SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE," he continued, "YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE. OR NOT." Frisk unballed her fists, starting to doubt herself. She was no lie detector, but somehow, she couldn't help but believe Mettaton was telling the truth. But Alphys was still good. She had to be. She was just a little hurt, right? Frisk looked at the ground.

"YOU SEE," Mettaton started again, drawing Frisk's gaze, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL-" Mettaton posed dramatically, "-THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW. AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW... WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?" If Mettaton had a mouth, he would have grinned. There was a sudden, frantic banging on the door.

"H-hey! What's going on!?" she asked, her voice panicked, "Th-th-the door just locked itself!"

"SORRY FOLKS!" Mettaton announced grandly, "THE OLD PROGRAMS BEEN CANCELLED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!" There was a sudden lurch, and the whole room suddenly rocketed into the air. Frisk stumbled forward, falling onto her hands and knees. "REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW..." He trailed off, posing with one hand in the air, microphone held up to his speaker. The platform lurched to a stop in a large room. All around the platform were rows of movie theater seats, bright spotlights glaring overhead. Frisk scrambled to her feet, staring around her in awe. There were at least a dozen cameramen in all corners of the room, and the crowd was going absolutely wild. "ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!" Frisk's soul flashed, and everything turned black and white.

 _Mettaton attacks!_

Mettaton waved charismatically at the crowd, and Frisk checked her ACT options. She decided to try Burn.

 _This is probably what you'll do if things continue in this manner._

"YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT REARRANGED THE CORE," the robot started, "I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU. THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORTSIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER?" He paused, trying to build suspense. Frisk just stared nervously, clenching her hands into determined fists. "KILLING YOU MYSELF!" Frisk Spared again. Nothing happened.

"LISTEN, DARLING. I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU'RE WEAK." Mettaton started, almost seeming to sigh. Determination shined in Frisk's eyes. "IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL, AND WITH IT, HE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY." White boxes flew at Frisk. She dodged them all with ease.

"IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN. I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION." the robot offered, sending lines of boxes this time. Frisk shot the hollow ones with her yellow soul, breaking them and escaping unscathed. She Spared again. "THEN, USING YOUR SOUL, I WILL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING. HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS... NO, MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME." He stopped for a moment, thinking deeply, before sending more lines of boxes at Frisk. She just barely avoided being hit. Spare.

"GLITSE! GLAMOR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL!SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE?" Mettaton shrugged his mechanical shoulders. "THAT'S SHOWBUSINESS, BABY!" Frisk's phone vibrated in her pocket, making her jump. She quickly recovered and flipped it open.

"U... uh..." Alphys' familiar voice echoed through the receiver, sounding even more nervous than usual, "I can't see what's going on in there, but... D-d-don't give up, okay!? Th... there's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton..." There was silence for a moment before Alphys cleared her throat. "It's... um... it's... This is a work in progress, so don't judge it too hard..." She stopped again. Frisk waited nervously, watching the cheering crowd and fiddling with the bottom of her shirt. Alphys continued.

"But, you know how Mettaton always faces f-f-forward? That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-s-so if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around... um... And um... press th-th-the switch... he'll be... Vunerable." She stopped, and Frisk waited with baited breath. "Well, g-gotta go!" She announced abruptly, hanging up. Frisk stared at the phone for a moment.

 _Seems like a good time to turn Mettaton around._

Frisk nodded at the voice, pressing ACT. She selected turn, then looked up at the robot.

"Look!" she exclaimed, pointing enthusiastically behind him, "Mirror!" Mettaton raised an imaginary eyebrow.

"OH, A MIRROR?" He seemed puzzled for a moment before he perked up. "RIGHT! I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!" He turned around, revealing a switch on his backside. There was an arrow pointing from the large word SWITCH to the switch itself. Frisk inched forward a few steps.

"HM... I DON'T SEE IT..." Mettaton muttered, putting both hands on what would be his hips. Frisk darted forward, sliding the switch over, and ran back again. Mettaton froze.

"DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?" he asked, his voice strained. He whipped around to face Frisk, his screen started flashing violently, and he began to vibrate. Mechanical whirring noises filled the room. A white flash temporarily blinded Frisk, and she covered her eyes. The whole room faded to dark.

"OHHHH YES!" a Mettaton exclaimed, his less tinny and deeper than Frisk remembered. Two spotlights lit up the (suddenly) foggy area, and she squinted into it. Her eyes widened as it began to clear, revealing the silhouette of a person.

"Ohhhh my," Mettaton said, his voice heavy with narcissism, "If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude..." Frisk could see him pose through the fading fog. "Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments..." The room suddenly turned black and white, and Frisk could clearly see an extremely glamorous, humanoid Mettaton. Music started playing through unseen speakers.

"ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"

 _Mettaton Ex makes his premiere._

"Lights! Camera! Action!" Mettaton shouted fabulously, extending both hands to the side. Frisk had to jump out of the way as white legs swung at her notably yellow soul. They moved out of her way when she shot them, but she shot one just a moment too late. She grit her teeth against the pain as the attacks as they shattered against her skin. -4 HP.

Frisk looked focused on her battle options, taking a deep breath in through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. Mettaton would be hard to beat, since he was a boss monster, but there had to be a way. There was always a way.

 _Smells like Mettaton._

Frisk laughed silently to herself before pressing ACT, then Pose. She struck the most dramatic pose she could think of. The audience applauded.

"Drama! Romance! Bloodshed!" Mettaton exclaimed, sending a crowd of bombs and tiny box Mettaton robots st Frisk. She tried her best to dodge but got hit by three little hearts. -6 HP.

Frisk pulled a Glamburger out of her inventory and ate it. The audience burst into applause.

 _The audience loves the brand. Your HP was maxed out._

This time, Frisk decided to Boast. "Won't get hit!" she shouted at Mettaton, "Dodge everything!" The robot chuckled, and Frisk smiled confidently. Mettaton jutted his hip out to the side, resting a hand on it.

"Smile for the camera!" Several lines of boxes flew at Frisk. She barely managed to avoid getting hit. The audience cheered.

"Oooh, it's time for a pop quiz!" Mettaton exclaimed, posing dramatically, "I hope you brought your keyboard. This one's an essay question." The white words ESSAY PROMPT appeared, followed by 'What do you love most about Mettaton?' A keyboard appeared.

Frisk giggled, then slowly typed out her response. A ding sounded when she finished.

Oh my! What a great answer!" Mettaton gushed, reading and rereading Frisk's sentence. She smiled sheepishly, fiddling with her hands in behind her.

 _Mettaton is saving your essay for future use._

Frisk decided to try Heel Turn. She turned, struggling to recall what the stars on TV always did, and scoffed at the audience. There were many gasps and glares.

 _They're rooting for your destruction this turn!_

Frisk stiffened. So that wasn't a good choice...? Mettaton smirked.

"Your essay really showed everyone your heart. Why don't I show you mine?" His soul rose out of his chest and floated in front of Frisk, little sparks shooting from it. Frisk dodged, shooting at the soul a few times, and more Mettaton bots flew at her. She was hit several times, but not before getting in a few more shots herself.

The orange boxes appeared in front of Frisk again, and she decided to eat a Starfait. The audience cheered at the brand.

"Oooh, I'm just warming up!" Mettaton exclaimed, thrusting his palm forward. A crowd of tiny Mettatons were sent flying at Frisk. She shot frantically, running back and fourth. As soon as the attacks stopped she chose ACT, then Pose. She struck a pose, imitating Mettaton, and the audience nodded. Mettaton quirked a mechanical eyebrow.

"Not bad," he said, "but how are you on the dance floor?" A white disco ball appeared above Frisk with white and blue beams extending from it. She remained still for the blue one, but ran away from the white. It shattered against her shoulder, and she winced. Several more blue beams passed through her, and she tried to get back over to the disco ball with no such luck. She lost 8 HP.

This time, Frisk decided to Boast again. "Won't get hit!" she shouted to the audience. A few of them smirked disbelievingly, but most stared with rapt attention. Mettaton showed his pearly whites to the camera.

"Alright, darling. But can you keep up the pace!?" Another disco ball lowered from the ceiling, and Frisk stood with her soul at the ready. The first beam was white this time, and she shot the disco ball. It switched to blue, passing right through her. Another white one appeared, and she shot again.

White. Shoot. Blue. Wait. Blue. Wait. White. Shoot. She wasn't get hit, and the ratings slowly rose. Pose.

"Lights! Camera! Bombs!" Frisk was sealed in a long, narrow box with bombs and boxes falling from above. She took another 8 damage, so she ate the Starfait. The audience somehow seemed to love the brand even more than last time.

"Things are blowing up!" Mettaton called warningly, and the same attack appeared. Frisk lost 10 HP. ACT. Pose.

"Time for our union regulated break!" the robot exclaimed. The words 'HAPPY BREAKTIME!' appeared in large, gray letters. The words dissipated after about ten seconds. Frisk decided to Check this time.

 _METTATON EX. 8 attack 1 defense. His weak point is his heart-shaped core._

Frisk listened intently, nodding once after the voice finished. She stood at the ready.

"We've grown so distant, darling," Mettaton lamented with a fake frown, "How about another heart-to-heart?" His soul appeared in front of him, flanked by twirling boxes. The soul shot lightning bolts, which Frisk tried her best to weave around. She unsuccessfully attempted to land a hit on the robot's soul, losing 8 HP total. Mettaton smirked triumphantly. Then, with little warning, his arms fell out of their sockets.

Frisk stared, eyes wide, as the lifeless metal arms hit the ground with a clank. Her eyes darted up to Mettaton. He looked horrified for a moment before he regained his normal optimistic demeanor. "A... arms? Wh... who needs arms with legs like this?" He smirked determinedly. "I'm still going to win!" Rows of white boxes flew at Frisk, and she lost 6 more HP. ITEM. Glamburger.

"Dr... drama! A... action!" Mettaton exclaimed breathlessly. He simultaneously formed attacks and posed, managing an impressive pace. -6 HP. ACT, Pose. The robotic idol smirked dangerously.

"L... lights! C... camera!" he paused, catching his breath for a moment. "Enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish? Or do you believe in yourself that much?" He scowled, sealing Frisk in a small box again. Somehow, she managed to avoid getting hit this time around.

ACT. Boast.

"Gonna win. Not gonna get hurt!" Frisk shouted. Mettaton arched an eyebrow.

"Haha, how inspiring. Well darling, it's either me or you." His grin shrunk slightly, almost a scowl but not quite. "But I think we both know who's going to win. Witness the true power of humanity's star!" His soul appeared again, shooting lightning bolts in all directions. Frisk scrambled frantically from left to right as legs jabbed at her from all sides, the toes pointed perfectly straight. Four shattered against her arms, sending a flame shooting through her soul and taking 10 more HP.

 _The audience is disappointed._

Frisk ignored the orange boxes, glancing up at the ratings. She wasn't quite sure what number that was, but it started with 8 and had four digits. That was probably good. She turned back to her options. ITEM. Cinnamon Bunny.

Mettaton had just opened his mouth to say something when his lags gave out from under him. They fell out of their sockets, leaving smoking holes where they should have been. Mettaton looked shocked as he hit the ground, then glared. Frisk shrunk in on herself.

"...then. Are YOU the star? Can you really protect humanity?" His soul appeared again, this time chasing Frisk around as it shot bolts of lightning. She posed, wincing as the full damage of her lost 11 HP took hold. She tried her best to look fabulous despite the burn.

Mettaton remained silent, watching as she struggled to stay alive. -6 HP. ITEM. Starfait. -10 HP. ACT. Pose. -3 HP.

Frisk stopped, panting and struggling to remain on her feet. She glanced up at the ratings, which now consisted of a 10 and three 0's.

"OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS!" Mettaton exclaimed, his voice back to it's original tinny self. Somehow. "THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD! WE'VE REACHED OUR VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE!" He stuck out his tongue, and Frisk stares curiously. "ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME... BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER!" He flashes a dazzling smile. "LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!" There's a brief sound of a phone ringing followed by a click.

"HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUT LAST SHOW?" Mettaton asked, his charismatic TV show personality showing through. There was a long pause on the other end.

"...oh..." a voice murmured. Mettaton's smile faded, and it takes Frisk a moment to recognize the voice as Napstablook. "hi... mettaton..." the ghost started, "i really liked watching your show... my life is pretty boring..." Napstablook stopped talking for a few seconds, reflecting, "but... seeing you on the screen... brought excitement to my life... vicariously." Frisk's eyebrows furrowed. She wasn't sure what that word meant...

"i can't tell, but... i guess this is the last episode...?" Napstablook said, questioning himself. He continued, "i'll miss you... mettaton..." Mettaton's face crinkled into a touched kind of sadness, his face seeming to be battling between a smile and frown. The voice on the other end paused for a minute.

"... oh... i didn't mean to talk so long... oh..." Mettaton's eyes immediately widened.

"NO, WAIT! WAIT, BL..." There was a click, and Mettaton's face fell. "H... THEY ALREADY HUNG UP..." He looked sad for a moment before he brightened up. "... I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!" The phone rang again, and someone else picked up.

"Mettaton, your show made us so happy!" a voice exclaimed, and Mettaton's smile faded again.

"Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you!" another voice shouted.

"Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart!" a third voice proclaimed, and Mettaton frowned sadly.

"AH... I... I SEE..." he murmured. Frisk stared, suddenly feeling kind of sad. "... EVERYONE... THANK YOU SO MUCH." He looked at Frisk, his expression serious.

"... DARLING. PERHAPS... IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE FOR AWHILE. HUMANS ALREADY HAVE STARS AND IDOLS, BUT MONSTERS..." He smiled slightly. "THEY ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT... THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK. I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT CAN NEVER BE FILLED. SO... I THINK I'LL HAVE TO DELAY MY BIG DEBUT." His smile widened, and he looked back at Frisk. She bounced on the balls of her feet.

"BESIDES, YOU'VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG. PERHAPS... EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE. I'M SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY." Mettaton paused a moment, and Frisk processed everything he said. She smiled, and he looked sad.

"HA HA... IT'S ALL FOR THE BEST, ANYWAY. THE TRUTH IS, THIS FORM'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS... INEFFICIENT. IN A FEW MOMENTS, I'LL RUN OUT OF BATTERY POWER AND... WELL. I'LL BE ALRIGHT." He smiled a wide, confident smile.

"KNOCK 'EM DEAD, DARLING. AND EVERYONE..." He turned to the camera, flashing a showstopping smile. "THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!" The lights in his eyes went dark, leaving only the smoking, still fabulous form of Mettaton. A wall lowered from the ceiling, closing Frisk off from the audience, and the platform lowered. The world regained its color.

Frisk walked forward, stopping in front of the robot. Even without his arms and legs, he was still taller than her.

 _It's out of batteries_

"I... I managed to open the lock!" a voice called from behind, and Frisk turned. Alphys rushed inside, a relieved smile on her face "Are you two..." She stopped, all the blood draining from her face.

"Oh my God. Mettaton!" she shouted, rushing to his side, "Mettaton, are you..." she checked him over, then sighed in relief. "Thank GOD, it's just the batteries. Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have... I would have..." She paused, looking really nervous.

"... I m-mean, h-hey, it's n-no problem, you know?" She laughed nervously. "He's just a robot. If you messed it up, I c-could always... j-just b-build a-another..." She cleared her throat, then smiled nervously.

"... Why don't you go on ahead?" she suggested, and Frisk nodded. She stepped around Mettaton.

Frisk walked ahead, seeing a really long hallway. She marched ahead, determination pulsing through her. Alphys scurried after.

"S... sorry about that!" she said, "L-let's keep going!" They both walked ahead, Frisk focusing on her destination. Alphys glanced to the side.

"S-so you're about to meet Asgore, h-huh?" she asked, "You must be... y-you must be... Pr... pretty e-excited about all that, huh?" They walked a few more steps before Alphys speaks again.

"You'll f-f-finally... you'll finally get to go home!" Frisk stopped in front of the elevator, reaching for the button on the side.

"W... wait!" Alphys shouted, and Frisk froze. She peered curiously at Alphys, who nervously wrung her hands. "I mean, um... I... I was just going to... um... Say goodbye, and..." She stopped, sweat beading on her forehead. Frisk waited patiently for her to speak like she so obviously wanted to.

"... Alphy?" she asked quietly. Alphys clenched her eyes shut.

"... I can't take this anymore," she murmured, opening her eyes. She looked weary and tired. "I... I lied to you," she admitted, "A human soul isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone. It takes at least a human soul... and a monster soul..." She looked away.

"If you want to go home... you'll have to take his soul. You'll have to kill Asgore." Frisk's breath caught in her throat, and she stared at Alphys. Why hadn't she told her before? She didn't want to hurt anyone. She wouldn't actually have to...

Alphys backed away a few steps, refusing to make eye contact. "I'm sorry." she whispered, then turned and fled down the hallway. Frisk reached out her hand.

"Wait!" she called, but Alphys ran back through the doorway she had come from. Frisk stared for a moment, then found herself holding back tears. Her friend had abandoned her. Her friend, who was helping her, ran away, and now she didn't know what to go.

Frisk turned back to the elevator, pushing the button to summon it. She took a deep, shuddering breath, wiping her eyes.

Could she still leave without hurting anyone?

* * *

(A/N Welp, there you are. The chapter that's taken so long to get here. I wish I could say it was worth the wait, but... it's really not. I'm really sorry about that. I'll try not to make you wait that long again.

But yeah, Frisk got past Mettaton. That's a lot of research done. Now I just need to get back to Hope. I kind of just left her abandoned in a hallway... heh...

As always, hope you liked this chapter. Please follow, favorite, and review, and happy reading!)


	24. Chapter 24

(Thank you Disney Syndulla, ShugoYuuki123, and Puns4Daysssss for your awesome reviews!

And Puns4Daysssss, that was awesome.

Also, before I do anything else, I just want to say how extremely sorry I am for not making this chapter earlier. I was just... not feeling it. I had the first hlf done within a week, but the other half just would. Not. Flow. It was so awful. My brain just drew a blank every freaking time I st down. And then, of course, there was the procrastonation, which only added to writer's block, and the just... not. But yeah, I' preeeeeetty sure this hapter isn't deserving of a three (or more) month wait, but it's the best I've got right now. So yeah. I hope you like it.)

 **Chapter 24**

Hope sat on the ground with her back against the wall. She stared blankly ahead, her thoughts not really on the situation at hand. The words of her father kept repeating themselves in her head.

 _"Worthless."_

 _"No one is going to save you."_

 _"You're all alone."_

She sighed, closing her eyes. 'Maeko?' Maeko perked at the sound of her name.

 _Yeah?_ Hope smiled slightly to herself. She wasn't alone. Though it might feel that way right now, she could never be truly alone again. Something about that was... comforting.

'Oh, nothing," she replied, her smile widening a little, "Just wanted to make sure you were still there. You were being uncharacteristically quiet." Maeko smirked.

 _What, I can't take time to be lost in my own ruminations?_ she asked.

'Ruminations?'

 _Thoughts._

'Ah,' Hope opened her eyes again, smiling, 'So its some of your fancy speak then?' Maeko scoffed.

 _I prefer to think of it as superior vocabulary,_ she replied.

'Oh, _I_ see.' Hope rolled her eyes. Maeko glared for a moment before her face split into a grin.

 _Whatever,_ she said, scoffing, _You're just jealous because I'm smarter than you._ Hope bit her lower lip, grinning.

'Yeah, that's it.' Both girls smiled for a moment before Sans appeared around the corner. Hope's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open, and she quickly climbed to her feet.

"there you are!" Sans exclaimed, quickly walking forward to meet her, "i've been looking all over for you. how'd you get lost?"

"I dropped behind," Hope said, then quickly added, "I'm really sorry. I swear I wasn't trying to lose you. I just stopped and when I looked up, I was gone. I'm really really sorry." Hope stopped, surprised by how flustered she was. Why was she so upset? It wasn't like she did anything wrong. Sans' eyesockets were semi-wide.

"whoa kid," he held up his hands, "you're fine. i'm not mad at ya." Hope looked at the ground, then nodded. She took a deep breath.

"Sorry. Just kind of..." she paused, searching for the right word, "...freaked out a little, I guess?" She laughed nervously, putting a hand behind her head. "...Sorry." Sans sighed.

"don't be. it wasn't your fault," he replied, his everlasting grin widening, "guess we both need to be a bit more observant, huh?" Hope laughed.

"Yeah," she said, "I think we could definitely avoid some problems that way."

 _Also, he could, I don't know, add some frickin' contacts to your phone?_ Maeko added, annoyance tinging her voice. Hope rolled her eyes internally.

"It also might help if this had was charged." she said, pulling out her phone and handing it to Sans. He examined it briefly.

"so that's why it didn't work." he muttered, more to himself than Hope. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"What?"

"the tracker," he elaborated, motioning to the phone, "it runs on your phone's batteries. your phone ran out of batteries, so i couldn't see your location." Hope stared at Sans, her eyebrows raised.

'Okay, am I supposed to have known about the tracker?'

 _I don't remember him saying anything about it._ Maeko said, shaking her head, _That sneaky ba-jerk. I said jerk._

Hope suppressed a grin. 'Good catch.'

 _Whatever._

Hope looked between the phone and Sans for a moment and sighed. "You know," she said, "you could have told me you had a tracker in my phone." Sans looked up, arching a nonexistent eyebrow.

"and how would you have taken that?" he asked. Hope opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. Sans stared, a 'that's what I thought' expression. Hope faked a scowl.

'I guess he has a point.'

 _A pretty shiiiiiii- crappy point._

"Well... okay, maybe I wouldn't have exactly appreciated the gesture, but maybe tell me next time you install a tracking device in one of my electronics?" Hope said.

Sans shrugged. "fine by me. i get tha' feelin' you wouldn't mind a bit of extra caution." Hope smiled slightly, looking at the ground at her feet. He was right. She could certainly afford to be more cautious wherever possible. When she thought about it, she wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for Sans. He'd saved her life on more than one occasion. She could probably trust his judgement. Hope looked back up at Sans.

"So do you think you can find your way outta here?" she asked. Sans' grin widened slightly.

"yeah, i think i got it now," he said, looking behind him. He turned around, motioning for Hope to follow. She obliged. They walked forward, Sans' slippers scuffing along the ground.

"i actually found the exit while looking for you," Sans continued, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "just my luck. the moment i'm _not_ looking for it, it's suddenly there." Hope giggled softly, smiling to herself. She definitely knew what he meant. Similar things happened to her all the time.

 _Of course he stops being incompetent the moment I'm not around,_ Maeko said, rolling her eyes. She scoffed. _Sometimes I wonder if he's just trying to annoy me._

'He's not incompetent, I already told you,' Hope started, 'I think he just always teleports around, so the lay of the land here is unfamiliar to him.' Maeko rolled her eyes.

 _Word it however you want. He needs to explore more often._ Hope smirked to herself, turning away from Sans so he wouldn't see.

After about five minutes of walking where Sans somehow seemed to know every turn (Maeko found this unnecessarily suspicious), the duo arrived at a gaping doorway. Hope peered inside, eyes widening at the scene.

The room was mostly dark, and shadows clung to every wall. Scuff and burn marks covered the floor, along with random mechanical parts strewn here and there. In the middle of the room was the head and torso of a robot ( _A fabulous Mettaton?_ as Maeko called it). The eyes were dark. What looked like the same robot's arms and glamorous legs lay on the floor nearby. Alphys was crouched on the floor next to it, her head in her hands. She quietly muttered something.

"Alphys?" Hope asked uncertainly. Alphys started, whipping her head around to see who it was. She relaxed when she realized who it was. Hope walked forward, stopping next to the lizard woman, and crouched down. "What happened?" she asked.

Alphys glanced back at the robot (Mettaton). "H-he battled F-Frisk," she started, her voice quiet. Hope's eyes widened. She quickly added, "She's o-okay, though. H-he's okay t-too..." Hope nodded, her eyes pulled back toward the lifeless Mettaton. It was weird to see him like this, looking much more humanoid than his previous cheesy sci-fi movie form. She thought for a moment.

"Did she... do this to him?" she asked, nervousy fluttering in her stomach like frightened butterflies. Was Frisk really capable of causing such damage to someone? And was it willingly? Alphys' eyes widened.

"N-no!" she said, her voice hurried, "This h-happens to him wen he uses t-too much p-power. His l-limbs are designed to c-come out of their sockets t-to s-save e-energy. You know, so he has a-an advanced w-warning. But, um..." She looked over at Mettaton's lifeless torso. "I guess he w-wasn't as careful a-as h-he should've been." Hope noddod slowly, thinking.

 _So he's not dead. Nice to know,_ Maeko said, tilting her head slightly, _I'm surprised he runs so much like a normal robot. I mean, he runs on magic, I'm pretty sure. I didn't think magic really ran so much like electricity._

"Well... I'm sorry," Hope said quietly, putting her hands in her lap. "He's fixable, right?" Alphys nodded quickly.

"Y-yeah, I can fix... it," she replied. Hope's eyebrows furrowed.

"'It?'" she repeated, questioning. Alphys shrugged, her eyes pulled once again to the deactivated Mettaton. Hope smiled lightly. "I know you don't think of him that way. Why'd you call him that?" Alphys looked back at Hope, her eyes nervous and questioning.

"W-well, um, I thought maybe if I r-referred to him like t-that... well, um..." she stopped, staring deliberately at her hands. Her cheeks reddened slightly. "I thought you wouldn't feel as bad... i-if... u-um..." Hope put a hand on Alphys' shoulder.

"I don't feel bad about anything. It wasn't your fault. Besides," she smirked slightly, "he didn't really seem too... serious. About this whole thing, I mean." Alphys smiled a slight nervous smile. Despite its awkwardness, though, Hope could tell it was genuine. She smiled too, then wrapped the lizard woman in a hug. Alphys stiffened for a moment, then relaxed a little. Hope released her.

There was a brief goodbye before Hope and Sans continued on, entering a hallway. It was really long, really boring, and super echoey. Sans stopped while they were in the middle of it.

"hey, i hate to do this to you, but i just remembered somethin'," he said, turning to Hope, "I have something I really need to do, and I need to get there really soon." Hope nodded slowly, suspecting the diretion this conversation would go.

"You need to go again," she finished for him. Sans hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Hope shrugged, trying not to express the hurt she felt. "Hey, that's fine," she said, "You go ahead." Sans cast her a searching look.

"you sure you're fine with this?" he asked, "i can take you with me, if you want. you don't have to continue alone." Hope forced a smile.

"Yeah, it's fine," she replied, "I'm good. As long as there are no more mazes, that is." She laughed,the sound plastic and fake to her ears. Sans offered a teeny smile which didn't travel to his eyes. Suddenly, a bone dagger materialized in his hand. Hope jumped, eyes widening.

"to protect yourself,' he explained, offering the handle. Hope tensed, staring at the blade. The knife didn't bother with sleek appearences, the jagged edge wicked. Designed for maximum damage.

Slowly, tentatively, she removed it from his hand. It felt awkward in her hand, too heavy and wrong. The hung loosely in her fingers. Sans nodded.

"welp, i gotta go now," he said. He gave Hope a pointed stare. "that dagger is for protection. don't lose it." Hope nodded, understanding, but still refusing to look at the blade. Sans grinned tiredly.

"don' worry, i'll come and find you as soon as i'm done," he said, then gave a two-fingered wave. Hope watched him disappear in a flash of blue light, a hole opening up inside her. A weapon? For her? This was wrong. She sighed, exhaustion weighing on her limbs, and closed her eyes.

 _Why did you let him leave?_ Hope's eyes snapped open, surprised by the sudden break in silence.

'He has more important things to do,' she answered, though a part of her refused to believe it.

 _Yeah, well, you're important too._ Maeko countered, almost annoyed. Hope shrugged.

'Guess so. But I can wait.'

Hope's eyes flicked to the dagger in her hand, held only by the very tips of her fingers. The perfect roughness of the blade, the deadly imperfection, caused a bile to rise in her throat. Fingers curling slowly around the blade, Hope faced the path in front of her, perseverance her only fuel.

* * *

(A/N Okay, here it is. The chapter that took tree months. Or more. I actually am not sure. But it's done, I don't have to worry about it anymore, and I can move on with the story. 'Cause, in all honesty, I've been waiting for the arts to come since I wrote Chapter 10.

Anyway, yup. Hopefully I'l be able to write a little more for a while. I was working on a story for a writing contest for, like, a month, so that took pretty much all my time. Binge writing one story doesn't exactly leave time for another one in addition. But thank you for reading this, as always. Happy reading!)


	25. Chapter 25

Wow. It's been awhile.

Oops.

Thanks Karmic Retribution, Disney Syndella, Guest, and DragonGod148 for reviewing! All feedback and predictions are much appreciated.

* * *

Hope waited in the elevator, the silence pressing against her ears. She hoped there wouldn't be any more obstacles ahead. She didn't know if she could handle all that again.

The sleek metal doors opened, and Hope stepped out. The hallway she entered was weird and gray, like what you'd see in a black and white movie. The lights up above also cast a grayish light, making her skin and clothing appear dulled and lifeless. Maeko was silent, also seeming to feel the tense atmosphere.

The silver doors slid closed with an echoing metallic clang. Hope's slow footsteps felt muffled as she started forward, and she found herself tiptoeing in an effort to not disturb the quiet. The silence was awful. It made her feel like something was about to lunge at her at any time. The need to scream, stomp, and pound on the walls overwhelmed her. Anything to disrupt this horrid quiet. Instead, she squeezed the knife blade in her hand.

The sight of one of the yellow sparkles greeted Hope ahead on the path. It cast a warm, familiar light onto the area around it, adding just a touch of brightness to an otherwise dark and lifeless world. Hope released a breath, one she hadn't realized she had been holding, and she rushed forward to the star. A faint, distant smile formed on her lips as she allowed her fingertips to brush the magical spark, enjoying the warm energy that flooded through her.

 _Such a familiar sight fills you with Perseverance._ Maeko murmured. Hope started, her heart pounding, before realizing that it was just Maeko. She laughed.

'You scared me!' she exclaimed, shaking her head.

 _Sorry,_ Maeko said, smirking, _I just decided... you know, for old time's sake._ Hope's smile softened, nodding.

'Ah. Well, in that case,' she replied, grinning, 'I _suppose_ it's okay.' Maeko mirrored Hope's expression.

 _Uh-huh._

Hope continued forward, silence setting over the halls once again. This time, however, it was a less tense kind of quiet, both girls comfortably confined to their own thoughts. Hope continued on for only a minute or so when she stopped abruptly, eyes widening.

To her right a walkway stretched, high above the ground below. On that ground spanned a city. Buildings, the tall and the small, clustered together, creating a dense mat of concrete. They varied in design and structure, age and population. The only similarity between them, it seemed, was the lack of color and uniform cleanliness. Not a speck of dirt stuck to anything in the place, living or stone, despite the bustling crowds of monsters roaming the streets. Even they were gray-washed in the strange light.

"Wow," Hope breathed, her eyes drinking in the sights. Only by straining her ears could she begin to make out the sound of city life, muted from so far above. So strange was this place.

 _Seems legit,_ Maeko agreed, making a "not bad" expression.

' 'Seems legit'?' Hope repeated, scoffing, 'Really?'

 _Uh, yeah,_ Maeko answered in her normal, borderline defiant tone, _It seems legit._ Hope rolled her eyes.

'Sure. Whatever you say.'

Hope drifted down the walkway, watching the city below with a vacant expression. She noted the way the monsters walked. Almost everyone went slowly, stopping to chat and have fun as they went. Everyone here seemed so happy to just take it slow and enjoy life. Enjoy each other's company. It was so different fro life in human cities, where everyone ignored everyone else and kept to themselves. It made her... sad.

After she took another left turn, Hope saw a doorway signaling the walkway's end. She stepped through, gasping aloud.

There was an house, a familiar one, up ahead. It held a striking resemblance to Toriel's home, the only noticeable difference being the monochrome complexion. Everything from the piles of leaves to the way the doors and windows were arranged was exactly the same. A faint music drifted from an unknown source, hardly audible but definitely there. It was melancholy, sort of. Nostalgic. Hope stepped up to the door and knocked three times. No answer.

She tried again, giving three clear, hard knocks. Still no reply. She decided to try her luck and stepped inside, careful to close the door behind her.

The inside was equally familiar house, with all the same decorations, floor plan, and stairway. The only difference was all the vases, which contained big yellow flowers instead of the assorted vegetation in the other house.

 _Buttercups...?_ Maeko whispered, more to herself than anyone else. Hope didn't answer. Instead, she walked up to one, gently brushing her fingertips against its petal. It was soft and smooth.

Hope decided to explore the hallway to her right, a grimness and exhaustion weighing her down. She froze when she saw two Froggits, standing shoulder to shoulder. The hallway flashed a few times before becoming entirely black and white, the previous grayness gone. Hope's grip on her knife tightened.

"A long time ago," one of the Froggits started, "a human fell into the Ruins." Hope stared, confused. A human? The Ruins? The other Froggit spoke.

"Injured by its fall, the human called out for help," The hallway flashed back to its original coloring, and Hope's eyes widened. The Froggits were gone.

"Where'd they go?" she asked aloud.

 _I dunno. Disappearing magic?_ Maeko offered. Hope's mouth drew into a thin line.

'Yeah, maybe,' she answered absently. She stepped further into the hallway, approaching what would be Toriel's room. The door swung open before she could even touch it, revealing two Whimsums inside. The room flashed and changed colors again.

"Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call," the monster closest to Hope said, picking up exactly where the Froggits left off as if reading the next sentence in the same book.

"He brought the human back to the castle," the other continued absently. Once again, as soon as the darkness dissolved, both monsters were gone. Hope turned to leave, a diary laying open catching her attention. It read "Nice day today!" in large, regal handwriting. Little pieces of white fur stick in the ink.

Hope, unsure of herself, decided to double back and see what else was here. Something caught her eye, however, before she could leave the hallway.

A mirror.

She stared at the mirror hung on the wall. It was exactly the same as the one in Toriel's house. Long, clean, plain. A part of her wanted to see herself, see what everyone else saw.

But...

No. There were more important things to be done. Slowly, Hope turned from the mirror and walked back down the hallway, every step forced but necessary.

Three Moldsmals met her in the living room. She was ready this time, not even flinching when all the colors changed.

"Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings."

"The king and queen treated the human child as their own."

"The Underground was full of hope."

Hope stared into space for a minute after they left, listening to the distant music. It was louder now, though not much. She peeked into the kitchen, glancing around. White fur was stuck in the drain. Hope glanced in the garbage can, which was full of balled-up papers. Curious, she smoothed one out and examined it. It was a recipe for butterscotch pie.

 _Do you think..._ Maeko started, but then trailed off.

'What?' Hope asked. She could feel Maeko biting her lip in her head, regretting er decision to speak.

 _Never mind._ she said, voice quick and dismissing. Hope could not help but be curious, though.

She ventured out of the living room and down the stairs. The music grew softer again as she descended, almost disappearing altogether. Two Migosps waited at the bottom.

"Then... one day..."

"The human became very ill."

"How?" Hope tried to ask, but both Migosps shook their head, disappearing. Hope continued walking, her thoughts troubled. Who was this human? Why were to monsters telling her about them? And what did Maeko have to say? Two Vegetoids soon blocked her path.

"The sick human only had one request."

"To see flowers from their village." The Vegetoid stopped, eyes downcast. The first one's voice was soft.

"But there was nothing we could do."

She turned a corner into another hallway, more monsters awaiting her.

"The next day."

"The next day."

There was a pause between the two Looxes who had spoken. The first bit its bottom lip, and the second took a deep breath. "The human died."

Hope stared blankly at the space where the monsters where, feeling like a hard blow had just been dealt to her ribcage. They died? Not that she hadn't seen that coming, but... it was still hard to swallow. She felt awful for this poor human child, a child who had become close to monsters and died of illness. She wondered what they were like. How old they were. What they had been through. Two Snowdrakes emerged from the shadows.

"Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul."

"He transformed into a being with incredible power."

Hope dashed ahead as soon as the Snowdrakes left, desperate to know the rest. She was never the type to put down a book before she knew the ending.

"With the human soul, Asriel crossed through the Barrier."

"He carried the human's body into the sunset."

"Back to the village of the human."

Next it was three Woshuas.

"Asriel reached the center of the village."

"There, he found a bed of golden flowers."

"He carried the human onto it."

Hope trudged forward, limbs turning to lead. She knew there was something more, something worse. She feared for poor Asriel.

"Suddenly, screams rang out."

"The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body."

"They thought that he had killed the child."

Hope paused as she exited onto a walkway above the city she had seen before. It looked the same, really, but something about it felt different now. More depressing. Three Dummies lurked ahead.

"The humans attacked him with everything they had."

"He was struck with blow after blow."

"Asriel had the power to destroy them all."

Maeko stayed silent, listening just like Hope. It was unclear to Hope exactly what her friend was thinking, but she imagined their thoughts were likely fairly similar.

"But..."

"Asriel did not fight back."

"Clutching the human..."

"Asriel smiled and walked away."

"Wounded, Asriel stumbled home."

"He entered the castle and collapsed."

"His dust spread across the garden."

Tears formed in Hope's eyes, her breath catching in her throat. Humans killed Asriel. Humans killed an innocent child. She felt ready to throw up, ready to scream, ready to throw herself at the feet at the nearest monster and apologize for the sins of humanity. Instead, she walked on, perseverance shining for her like a dying match.

"The kingdom fell into despair."

"The king and queen had lost two children in one night."

"The humans had once again taken everything from us."

Silent tears fell from Hope's eyes, leaving tiny trails of salt water on her cheeks. She dried them with her fingers, determined to know the rest.

"The king decided it was time to end out suffering."

"Every human who falls down here must die."

"With enough souls, we can shatter the Barrier forever."

Hope's tears halted, and she could feel the dots connect. The monsters weren't being cruel, or unfair, or merciless when they hunted Frisk and herself so fervently. They were simply doing what they had been told. Obeying the command that resulted from a tragic misunderstanding. Frisk was just caught in the crossfire.

"It's not long now." a Loox said. He and the two monsters next to him spoke in unison.

"King Asgore will let us go."

"King Asgore will give us hope."

"King Asgore will save us all."

Hope forced herself to keep going, not sure she wanted to hear the rest. The monsters had hope now, because of her. Because of Frisk. But she didn't.

"You should be smiling too." a Pyrope said, following her own advice as she smiled up at Hope.

"Aren't you excited?" asked a Vulcan, "Aren't you happy?" Hope stared ahead at a single Froggit, who waited for her to approach. He smiled up at her.

"You're going to be free."

* * *

Wow. Emotions. That was like, nostalgic to the max right there.

Anyway, I'm not even gonna try to predict when I'm gonna crank out my next chapter. So y'know how FanFiction gets rid of your docs after 90 days of no editing? Welp... I lost my whole idea page because of that. 25,000 words worth of ideas, along with the layout for the fifteen chapters to come, gone. So yeah, I'm kinda upset right now. Thankfully, most of what was in that document is still fairly fresh in my mind, but it's still annoying as heck.

Sorry for taking so tremendously, unreasonably, undeniably long to create this. To be honest, it literally took me three days to make this. It took me three month's worth of time to work up the nerve to write for three. Days.

Dang.

But, as always, thanks a bunch for all of your wonderful support! Please follow, favorite, and review if you liked this, and happy reading!


	26. Chapter 26

Hi guysssssss! I'ma back! It hasn't actually been TOO long. WOOOOOO!

Don't judge me. That's an accomplishment.

So I kinda fell out of the habit of writing for a bit. Maybe I lost interest in the story for the most part. But now I have a ton of new ideas, and my Undertale craze has just looped back in on itself, so here I am!

Also thanks to KarmicRetribution and Capt. Schroller for the reviews!

One last, important thing; I changed tense in this chapter. I know that's a really bad idea, but I just _cannot_ stand writing in past tense anymore. It's just so awkward. I'll be going back and fixing all the other chapters to match sometime soon, but so far, this is the first.

* * *

Frisk stands in the the long hallway, watching the shadows in front of her. There's someone there; she can see their two tiny white pinpricks for eyes. She fidgets with her hands, eyeing the two strange dots. They're watching her, watching. Waiting. She swallows, a fluttery nervousness suddenly tickling the back of her throat. A fearful fist clenches her stomach/

A bell tolls i the distance, making Frisk jump from surprise. The silence is getting to her. The stranger doesn't even blink and slowly, Frisk looks back. She swallows down the lump in her throat.

 _Stay brave,_ a tiny voice in her head reminds her. _Stay strong._ Frisk nods, setting her face in determination. She could be brave.

"so," the stranger begins, his voice deep and serious. "you finally made it. the end of your journey is at hand." Frisk nods slowly, watching with wide eyes as the teeny dots disappear for just a second before reappearing, just a few millimeters to the left.

 _Don't be scared. Be brave. It's just a monster._

"in a few moments, you will meet the king," the stranger continues, still watching with those eyes. "together... you will determine the future of this world. that's then." He pauses, the tiny pinpricks disappearing again for a few seconds. They reappear once again, but this time, they've moved more. Their owner steps out of the shadow of the stone pillar, revealing himself.

"this is now."

Frisk gasps. An uncertain smile forms on her face, recognizing the familiar face. That smile is quickly suppressed, however, as she realizes that the face is less than welcoming. He looked serious, more so than he ever was before, almost scary. Almost... angry. She remembers the last time she saw him and swallows, beginning to fidget with her hands again. Why was Sans all of a sudden so scary?

"now," Sans continues, his expression stone cold despite the grin, "you will be judged. you will be judged for your every action. you will be judged for every EXP you've earned," Frisk stares, confused, for just a second. Judged? Wasn't that usually bad? Like when adults 'judge' you for being rude?

"what's EXP? it's an acronym," Sans continues, snapping Frisk back into reality. Frisk stares, now confused. Sans pauses for a moment. "a shorter way to say something," he corrects himself, and Frisk can almost detect a tinge of gentleness in is voice. Frisk's relaxes slightly only to be put on edge again when the gentleness disappears, almost like it was never there at all.

"it stands for 'Execution Points.' a way of quantifying, er, measuring the pain you have... caused to others." He pauses again, fixating Frisk with a cold stare. She shrinks back.

"when you kill someone your EXP increases. You gain more. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym," Sans pauses, expression darkening. "it stands for 'Level of Violence.' a way of measuring someone's capacity... ability to hurt." Frisk stills, listening, the butterflies in her tummy growing increasingly agitated. But didn't Flowey say LOVE was a good thing? Hurting people isn't good. Did he lie?

"the more you kill the easier it becomes to distance yourself. the more you distance yourself, the easier you can bring yourself to hurt others." Sans closes his eyes, putting his hands in his pockets. His eyes open, the tension in his shoulders seeming to ease. "but you. you never gained any LOVE." He smirks, and Frisk smiles too. Tat's good. No violence is good.

"'course," he continues, "that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive. just that you kept a certain tenderness in you heart. no matter the struggles or hardships you faced, you strived to do the right thing. you refused to hurt anyone," Frisk's eyebrows furrowed a little at the word 'strived,' - also 'naive' and 'hardships' - but she thought she knew what Sans was trying to say. At least, sorta.

Maybe she could ask him later?

"even when you ran away, you did it with a smile," Sans goes on. "you never gained any LOVE, but you gained love. does that make sense?" He pauses, and Frisk tilts her hand in front her in a so-so signal. Sans chuckles.

"maybe not." He closes his eyes again, regaining his serious complexion. Only this time, it isn't so scary. It's closer to the face Hope gets whenever she gives Frisk instructions. "you're about to face the greatest challenge or your entire journey. your actions here... will determine the fate of the entire world. if you refuse to fight..." he trails off, glancing to the side.

"asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity." He stops again, his eyes settling on Frisk, who tenses.

"but if you kill asgore and go home... monsters will remain trapped underground. what will you do?" Sans asks. Frisk stares, eyes wide, and tries to think of an answer. Frisk concentrates hard, searching her brain for an answer. This is no choice for her to make. Maybe Hope, or someone else. She can't do this. What should she say?

"Don't know," she finally whispers, her voice barely audible. Sans' eyes soften.

"well, that's okay," he says, his voice the softest Frisk had ever heard it, "if i were you, i'd have thrown in the towel by now. but you didn't get this far by giving up, did you?" Frisk watches, confused.

"that's right. you have something called 'determination.' so as long as you hold on... as long as you do what's in your heart... i believe you can do the right thing." He stops, his expression loosening a bit. "alright," he says, almost reluctantly. "we're all counting on you, kid. good luck." Sans gives a two-fingered wave, almost like a lazy solute, and disappears in a flash of blue light. Frisk blinks a few times, adjusting her eyes, before lettinf out a breath. Te thoughts come crashing in.

She didn't know that everyone was counting on her, nor that what she did could have such a huge effect on everything. She's only five and three quarters. Can she really take all that on?

'Yes I can,' she tells herself, forcing a brave face. 'I have determination.' She smiles, repeating that phrase over and over to herself. She can be brave. She _will_ be brave. It was time to do what she always did.

Time to march on.

* * *

"hey," Hope hears from right beside her. She jumps, surprised from her numb state. Her spike of adrenaline quicky ebbs, however, when she sees who it is. It's just Sans, standing there with a semi-surprised look on his face. Maeko bursts out laughing in her head.

 _You... were so... scared! Ha!_ Maeko manages between her wheezing ecstasy. If she had a physical form, she would be hunched over from giggling so hard.

Hope's eyes narrow into annoyed slits. 'Oh, shut up,' she mutters, ignoring her still pounding heartbeat.

"I thought I told you not to do that!" she says out loud, waving her knife hand dangerously. "You scared me half to death!"

"sorry 'bout that," he says, shrugging unapologetically. "i didn't really know where you were, so..."

Hope glares for a moment, then smirks wryly. "Alright, fine. It wasn't your fault _this_ time." Sans rolls his eyes, grinning, and Hope huffs. Her smile fades into a thoughtful expression, however, as she glances over at Sans. "So... where did you go?" she asks.

Sans glances her way, shrugging. "eh, i was jus doin' somethin' i do for all newcomers," he replies, waving his hand dismissively. Hope's lips draw into a thin line.

 _Uh-huh. Like_ that _answers the question,_ Maeko sneers.

"That doesn't answer my question," Hope rephrases, then stops. "Wait, 'newcomers'? Do you mean Frisk?" Sans' skeletal grin widens just a little. Hope spins around, taking this as a yes, and dashes ahead.

"hey wait!" Sans calls from behind. "don't leave me in the dust, kiddo," Hope ignores him, charging full-speed ahead. He could teleport if he really wanted to. She skids into a large, grand hall with enough light in it to fill up the whole Underground. Any other time, Hope would have slid to a halt and admired the view, taking in the soft tolling of distant bells and bright, cheery colors. Given the circumstances, however, her legs refuse to halt and she presses on.

Hope passes through a dimly lit hallway, restored to the monochrome tone of before. A sign bears the large words "THRONE ROOM." She slows, stepping through the shadowy entryway with caution.

The inside of the throne room is lovely, the floor covered with lush, green vegetation and yellow flowers instead of the dull concrete everywhere else. Somewhere far away, Hope hears birds singing their sweet songs. Patches of light dot the ground.

 _What a pretty place..._ Maeko murmurs, her voice quiet as if to maintain the peace.

Hope nods absently. 'I almost don't want to leave.' Maeko smiles knowingly, her smile fading quickly. Something catches Hope's eye, and she removes her eyes from the floor.

A throne, large enough to seat a bear, sits solitary in the middle of the golden flower patch. Another throne rests in the back corner near the door, hastily covered by a white sheet. Hope stares for moment, searching her mind. Something about the second throne felt... familiar.

Though everything in this place felt familiar, so who knows.

 _Are... are you sure you're ready?_ Maeko murmurs quietly, her tone uncertain.

Hope stares ahead with a grim determination. 'Can't stop now,' she says, as much to herself as to her friend. She edges across the room, trying to disturb as little of the vegetation as she can, and safely into the next room, where a single spotlight provides the only decoration.

A deep voice drifts from somewhere nearby. "... I see..." it murmurs, barely distinguishable from the muffled birdsong. "This is it, then. Ready?"

Hope freezes forr a moment, unsure of what to do. It almost sounded like...

Oh no. Foreboding weighs down on her like a lead brick, her heart's tempo beginning to speed up. She had to go, she had to run. Frisk was in there.

"Human... it was nice to meet you," the voice says again, almost comforting in its deep tone. Hope's feet pound against he concrete as she begins to run. "Goodbye."

"Frisk!" Hope shouts, a spike of adrenaline suddenly propelling her forward. Her knife clatters to the floor, but she doesn't care. What was happening could be nothing but very, very bad. A shadowy doorway comes into view. "Frisk, hang on!" she exlaims, finding herself right outside the doorway . A green shield crashes over the entryway, forcing Hope to halt.

No.

Inside, Frisk stands with her back turned. She clutches a shaking knife in her right hand, knuckles white around its handle. A giant monster looms over her, bearing large ears and horns. He resembles Toriel in a sense. He looks up, spotting Hope, and his big blue eyes turn sad for a moment. He's... hesitating. He then steadies himself, a shadow falling over his face, and yanks a giant red trident from under his cape. Frisk starts, jumping back a little bit, as everything in the room turned black and white.

* * *

Alrighty! Now comes the fun part! I have been just _dying_ to write these next five or so chapters ever since Chapter 10-ish, so I am so hyped right now! The great big battle looms in the future, an even bigger one to come! SO EXCITED RRRRRRG!

Also, my apologies for the short chapter. The last one was supposed to have more, but I decided to put it in this one instead.

Thank you for reading my story. Always much appreciated! Please follow, favorite, and review if you liked this chapter, and magnificent reading to you all!


	27. Chapter 27

(A/N

Hi y'all. I'ma back.

Alright, so... ya. Next up, Asgore v. Frisk battle! What a show! Also I have to watch and take notes on an Asgore battle. *sigh*

Thanks MinervaArhedes and FanGirl for the reviews!)

* * *

 _Asgore!_ Maeko exclaims, eyes widening. _He-he's here. For her soul!_

"Frisk!" Hope screams, pounding on the green barrier in front of her. Her sister doesn't even flinch as she stands, back turned, knife hand beginning to steady. Fear courses through Hope's blood, growing more frantic with every beat of her pounding heart. She can't peel her eyes away from her poor little sister, alone to face a monster with too much to lose.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hope spots something. Seven little glass containers. Looking loser, she can see that each one of them holds a tiny, floating heart of assorted colors. Hope's knees begin to tremble, eyes widening even more.

 _My... my soul..._ Maeko breathes, gaze glued to the purple heart. A wave of cold washes over Hope. Her friend's soul, Maeko's soul, is trapped. Stuck inside a tiny little container, doomed to stay there until its intended purpose. Or, at least, Asgore's intended purpose. This doesn't chill her bones as much of one thing, however.

Sitting right next to Asgore is a final, empty case.

Hope's knees begin to tremble, her breathing quickening. She knew, in her mind, that that's what Asgore wants. But seeing the case, so empty, begging for a soul, shocks her to her core. Her eyes flick back to Frisk just in time to see Asgore drive his trident through her Mercy button.

Frisk jumps back, almost dropping her knife. Hope can only imagine her face, brown eyes wide in shock and fear. Young mind attempting to fathom the situation she was in, make sense of the actions of that... that _thing_ in front of her. Formulate a new plan.

"No! Frisk!" Hope shouts, once again slamming her fist into the green wall. Her hand bounces off violently, a fierce spike of pain shooting through her knuckles. Hope stumbles back, eyes widening in horror at the mangled state of her hand. She clutches it to her chest.

 _What the h*** was that for?!_ Maeko shouts, ignoring the blurred words with a slight tinge of annoyance.

"I have to save Frisk!" Hope shouts, eyes darting wildly around the edges of the light wall confronting her.

 _She can save herself,_ Maeko growls, gesturing vehemently with invisible hands. _She can defy death, remember?_

Hope ignores Maeko. She wants to believe her, she really does, but part of her just can't. What if Frisk can't come back this time? What if Asgore has the ability to prevent it? She couldn't bear to think of that. Instead, she focuses on what's happening inside the room.

Frisk shouts something at Asgore, her words indistinguishable through the shield. She ducks out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit by wall of dancing fire, turning on the balls of her feet to confront Asgore. Her three ACT boxes appear around her, and she slams her hand into ACT. She shouts something else at Asgore, and he hesitates more before throwing his next wave of flame. Frisk ducks just in time to avoid taking the full brunt of the attack, but gasps as one of the white-hot fireballs grazes her thigh. She stumbles forward, then looks back at the scorch mark, which disappears as soon as it appeared. Her clothing somehow mends itself simultaneously.

Because... that makes sense.

Deciding to ACT again, Frisk yells something else at Asgore. Her tone is pleading, begging Asgore for something. Mercy. This time, Asgore doesn't react.

 _Talking won't do any more good, da***t!_ Maeko shouts, clenching her nonexistent fists. _What the h*** is she supposed to do without her MERCY button? Kill him?_

"Don't say that!" Hope shouts, kicking the green barrier. "There has to be another way! She doesn't have to kill him!" She kicks the barrier with all her might, ignoring the dull protest in her foot. She doesn't care if it breaks her stupid foot. She has to try.

Frisk leaps out of another swarm of fireballs, ducking and dodging around them like some dangerous game of lazer maze. Frisk clenches her teeth against the burns, hastily pressing the ITEM button. She yanks a Cinnamon Bunny out of her inventory, stuffing the whole thing into her mouth and dashing forward as Asgore swings his now orange trident. Miraculously, it passes through her harmlessly.

Hope starts pounding on the green shield again, holding her bad hand to her chest while bombarding the wall with her other. Tears of frustration and fear well in her eyes.

"C'mon, open up open up!" she cries as Frisk evades a fire-wielding magical hand. Frisk dives out of the way, managing a clumsy front roll and skidding to a halt with one hand on the ground and another clutching her side. Her chest heaves from the effort.

"STOP!" she shrieks, loud enough for Hope to hear. Hope pauses momentarily, stunned. Frisk's voice sounds different than she expected. It sounded more forceful than pleading. More determined.

Asgore pauses momentarily, almost as shocked as Hope, but quickly regains his composure. More fire rains down from above, showering down on Frisk. She runs as fast as her little legs can manage, but still ends up being too slow. Several scorch marks appear and disappear as she stumbles stumbles. Her HoPe has got to be low.

Tears begin to trickle down Hope's cheeks. She pounds harder, sobs beginning to bubble up from her throat. "Stop it! Stop fighting!" she pleads.

Maeko watches, trembling slightly. She takes a deep breath. _Try your knife,_ she suggests.

Hope stops. "What?" she asks.

 _Try your knife,_ Maeko repeats, louder this time. _Try to drive it through the shield. Maybe it'll break it._

Hope pauses, then begins to scour the ground around her. The knife is nowhere to be seen. Her eyes dart back and fourth, frantically searching. It's not here. Where is it? Where did she drop it?

"Where is it?" she cries in desperation, skimming the ground around her. She turns around in a circle, then another. The muffled sounds of battle only set her more on edge, tears beginning to once again blur her vision. She shouts in frustration. "Where is it?!"

 _Um, I think you dropped it? Back there?_ Maeko suggests.

Hope turns on her heel, slipping, and sprints back down the hallway. She spots it quickly, right in the middle. The bone dagger.

Scooping the knife up in a less-than-graceful fashion, Hope scrabbles back to her feet and dashes back the way she came. She's forced to squint against her tears.

"Please let me make it please let me make it _God help me make it!_ "

Hope skids to a halt in front of the green light shield, seeing Frisk on the other side. She's on one knee, cramming a weird burger into her mouth. Asgore is rearing up to swing his trident. Hope draws the knife back, then propels her hand forward forcefuly. So close now...

Then it's stopped.

Both Hope and Maeko's eyes widen. _What the-!_

Suddenly, the vine wrapped around Hope's wrist yanks upward, popping Hope's shoulder out of its socket. She cries out, forced to drop the knife. Another vine shoots out from the wall, snagging the handle and whipping it out of view. Hope trembles uncontrollably, eyes glued to the spot where her weapon, Frisk's last hope, just was. Maeko unleashes a string of shouted profanity in her head.

Behind the wall, Frisk is still trying to reason with Asgore, her attempts at evading injury becoming more and more feeble. She stumbles over every step, forced to choke down more food at every opportunity. Her wounds heal slower, her HoPe drops more. Hope can see the blow coming from a mile away, but Frisk can't. Hope screams.

Frisk's eyes widen to the size of saucers as she drops to her knees, the burn mark on her face not healing like it should. She looks up at Asgore, her last breath jagged, before pitching forward. The white monster watches her fall, expression grim and unfeeling.

Hope shrieks. "Frisk! NO!"She rams into the shield, ignoring the protest in her shoulder. "I'm coming! Don't leave, I'm coming! I'm coming!" She slams against the wall, tears turning everything into strange little blobs of color. Sobs wrack her body.

"Please..."

* * *

Frisk sits in the GAME OVER screen, breathing hard. Everything just moved so fast, and she didn't have time to dodge any more. Everything was just a blur and then-

She was hit.

Part of her is relieved; the battle is done. Now she at least sort of knows what she's doing. And she always did want to try a front roll. The other part is scared. She never thought such a fluffy huggable king could... well.

 _I guess you can rest a little while now..._

Frisk nods, accepting the thought. This is true, she realizes. No one will remember anything after she starts from her last SAVE point. It's not like they'd mind her taking a little time to rest, recover from her latest experience, and prepare. She remembers reading something about that in a book, once. It was about a little boy who always wanted to win a race. He wasn't a very good runner, though, so he had to practice a lot. After he lost a race to the school bully, it took him time to recover before he started practicing again. In the end, won the race and everyone cheered for him.

Frisk smiles. Hope read that book to her every night. Hope let her draw all the pictures herself and pasted them in the book, saying they were better than the other ones. She said the book was special because is was the only one with such amazing pictures. That always made Frisk smile. Hope always knew how to make her feel happy again.

She sighs, then lays down. It's kind of weird, how much she wants to take a nap now. Whenever Hope or her teacher tried to make her take a nap, she was never tired. But now she can feel the exhaustion weighing down at her limbs. Every bone in her body begs for rest, and she feels compelled to oblige. There's a time and place for everything, she supposes.

And now is the time for sleep.

* * *

(A/N

Hola!

Yes, I know. That little bit at the end with Frisk's internal dialogue seems unnecessary and is probably making you scream "GOD DA***T BUTTERFLIE64, I WANNA KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH HOPE!" Well, if you're screaming that, first of all, calm down, bud. It's just a story. Granted, a very feelsy and emotionally scarring one, but still just a story! And secondly, I promise that little bit at the end has significance. Just... you know, next chapter =P.

Anyway, looking forward to writing more! We're about to get to the _really_ climactic part. Woo!

Thank you for reading my story and, as always, please follow, favorite, and review if you liked this chapter =D =D =D =D!)


	28. Chapter 28

(A/N

Hi guys. Stressed, tired, overworked, and yet still ecstatic about this story. It feels like the one thing that's going exactly as planned right now.

Please enjoy.

Also, many thanks to If I Could Begin To Be, Minerva Arhedes, xPricefieldx, and Guest for reviewing!)

* * *

Hope cries pitifully, leaning all her weight against the shield. She doesn't even bother to pick herself up, stand and continue to pummel the green wall in front of her. All the fight has drained out of her, all of her willpower just... gone. Her hands press against the surprisingly warm surface.

 _I-it's okay Hope,_ Maeko whispers. She speaks to herself as much as her friend. _She's going to come back. She can defy death, remember. Any moment now we'll reappear back where we were._

Hope sobs bitterly, unable to think through the fog. The sensible part of her thinks that Maeko is right, knows this isn't permanent. But some of her is doubtful. The process was always immediate before, the whole world dissolving mere breaths after Frisk died. But this time is longer than usual. It's been at least a full minute now, and Frisk isn't back.

She's not back.

Suddenly, the green shield disappears from beneath Hope's fingertips and she falls to the ground, her support vanished. She lands hard on her side, but she doesn't care. Slowly, she lifts her head.

In front of her lays Frisk's corpse. She's relatively untouched, the only sign of any struggle a single patch of scorched skin on her face and her clothing's ragged state. Her eyes stare straight ahead, fear and disappointment and exhaustion all mingled together inside. Her mouth is open only slightly, as if about to speak but got cut off before the words ever left. Another plea, perhaps.

Slowly, carefully, Hope drags herself towards her sister. The pain in her shoulder and hand screech, begging her to stop, but she refuses. She can't leave her sister alone. Poor, defenseless Frisk. Just a sweet little girl. Just a small child...

Hope collapses beside her sibling, true exhaustion weighing down on her soul and spirit. Though it's not the first time she's seen Frisk die, it certainly feels like it. She reaches out her hand to brush the bangs out of Frisk's eyes, but stops before she makes contact. The fist in her stomach. It was almost like touching Frisk would seal her fate and make the damage permanent. However silly the concept, the consequences still felt all too real. Hope slowly draws back her hand, clamping it over her own mouth and squeezing herself with her other arm.

"No," she whispers, shaking her head. "No. No no no. This isn't real. You'll come back." Hope smiles despite herself, a desperate gesture. "Yeah, you'll come back. You always do. You always do..." Hot tears slip down Hope's cheeks once again.

"That's right. You're just waiting. You'll come back." Hope nods her head, insistent. "Okay. You can come back now, sweetie. You've waited long enough. You can start over now." She waits, watching intently. Intensity burns in her eyes, threatening to singe holes in the fabric of reality.

Maeko swallows. _Hope?_ she asks, uncertain. A small tremble creeps into her words. _Hope, are you-_

"Frisk, I'm done playing games with you. Come back right now!" Hope commands, ignoring her friend. She knew what Maeko would tell her. Talking is pointless, she'd say. There's nothing you can do. But Hope just can't believe that. Her smile fades, replaced with a glower. "I mean it. Frisk, you are not allowed to ignore me. Stop hiding and just come back already!" Hope grabs both of Frisk's shoulders, fingers digging into the cloth. "Come back!"

Hope stares, every musce in her body tense. A hiccup bubbles up, followed by another, and another. The tears aren't far behind. Hope's teeth clench, biting back the desperate wails that try to force their way out. She loses that battle. "Come back! Please, come back!" she cries. "I'll do anything! I promise to keep you safe this time, I promise, please! Just don't leave me here alone!" Hope can feel everything around her break, crumbling despite her attempts to force the cracks to mend. Reality begins to sink in. Frisk isn't coming back. She'd never taken this long before, and she can't possibly control this. There is only one explanation of why she isn't back yet. Hope hugs Frisk closer to her, ignoring the awkward limpness of her body.

"I love you..."

Hope sits there like that for what felt like hours, clinging to her sister and sobbing into her adorable little sweater. It smells like warm and soft and safe.

Seeing her Frisk like this, dead once again to the hands of monsters, she can feel herself break. It doesn't feel like a snap, or a shattering sensation. She's not falling or fading. It's as if everything's real, all at once. Before, she could almost believe it was a dream. That before she knew it, she'd wake up, once again in the relative safety of her own home above the earth. Or maybe she and Frisk would be sleeping in the woods, on the run and almost out of her cruel father's reach. But now, suddenly, it's solid. A concrete reality.

Asgore's gaze bores into the back of Hope's head, and it takes all her energy to turn and face him. He stares, his eyes a wise and sad blue. He understands. He gets the pain of loss, and he knows how hard it is. How devastating it is.

"I am sorry, human..." he murmurs, diverting his gaze. "I am so sorry I had to cause you pain."

Hope stares, the pressure behind her eyes building again. Tears crach against the floodgates, and they can barely withstand the force. She wants to be angry. She wants to feel the fire build inside her, wants the flames to reach up and lick old wounds and launch her into a fiery fit of rage. She wants to become a demon, a horrible hell-born beast with a taste for vengeance. She wants to be able to tear her enemies limb from limb, terrifying them with her her reptilian tongue and stripping them of their armor so she can see them when they suffer, watch the light leave their eyes. She wants to want all this. But it won't come.

All she can feel is scared, sad and so, so guilty. There is no rage.

Hope quietly shakes her head, staring at the king. He looks up, a faint mist in the soft blue pools. As Hope watches, however, his eyes focus on something behind her, lazering in and seeming to see nothing else. Hope turns to see what he sees. Her eyes widen.

There, right above her sister's chest, bobs a small red heart.

Instinctively, Hope's hand reaches out and cradles it, not daring to touch its fragile shape. Its light pulses ever so slightly in her shelter, sensing the safety of human protection. It's an oddly familiar feeling. It almost feels as if Frisk herself is still there, leaning against Hope's side like she always did when being read to. But it is only a temporary spark in the cold depths of winter.

"Human," Asgore rumbles from behind. "Please don't make this harder than it need be." Asgore takes a step forward, his step heavy and reluctant.

Hope stiffens, her hands clamping around the soul. She clambers to her feet, ignoring the pain in her bad hand as she. She whirls around to face a shadowy faced Asgore.

"Please," he repeats, clutching his trident a little tighter. "I don't want any more blood to be spilled today."

The tiny hairs on the back of Hope's neck raise. She pulls the soul close to her chest, cupping it there. "You can't have it. It's not yours," she whispers, surprised by the lack of venom in her voice.

Asgore's frown deepens a little more, and he raises his trident. Hope jumps, startled briefly, before she shoots through the doorway with a small yelp. Asgore shouts from behind.

"Wait! Human, stop!" he calls, hot in pursuit. Hope doesn't miss a beat.

 _What? Hope, what are you doing?_ Maeko demands to know, eyes wide in alarm. _What if Frisk never comes back? You can't gamble with your life!_

Hope grits her teeth, clenching back sobs. Panic flares in her chest, and her mind spins. She can't let him have it, she can't let him have it. He can't take it! She scrambles forward, unsteadily propelling herself forward. Her legs don't want to cooperate, her brain refusing to direct them. She screams in anguish.

 _Hope, stop! You're gonna get yourself killed! Do you think that's what Frisk wants? Do you think she wants you to die?!_

Tears cloud Hope's vision, and she can't breathe. A fresh tidal wave of panic crashes down on her, sweeping away all remaining rationale. Maeko continues to yell.

 _Stop! Stop Hope, stop it! You're gonna get yourself killed!_

Hope charged on, deaf to her friend's words.

Then, suddenly, everything seems to slow down. Hope feels like she's moving through mud, her legs pumping at a tenth of their usual speed. Asgore shouts something from behind her, but it's slow and muddled, like he's trying to communicate through a jello wall. Maeko's shrieks in her mind are distant, in another world. Hope can see the stairs in front of her, only a few feet ahead, but she doesn't bother trying to stop. She knows she wont be able to. Besides, nothing good awaits her in life. She might as well just accept her death. The world turns black right as it speeds up again.

The scream sounds foreign in her ears even though it comes from her own mouth, vibrating painfully from her own vocal chords and tearing through her own throat. Its not like she's scared; she's beyond that. But the scream bursts fourth anyway, dismissing all the air from her lungs before the impact does. Maeko's shriek is loud and piercing, eyes wider than they've ever been before. She's petrified. Hope closes her eyes one last time, even though she can't see anything anyway.

And then there's nothing.

* * *

Asgore freezes, staring at the spot where the girl just disappeared, tumbling head-first down the stairs with a petrified scream. He hesitates; surely no welcoming sight can meet his eyes. Despite his lingering hopes, he knows there's no way any human could have survived that. After such a fall, it just wasn't possible.

Slowly, the trance-like state is lifted, and Asgore takes slow steps forward. Though he's reluctant, he knows he has to retrieve her body and the soul it recently contained.

Asgore stops at the top of the stirs, able to see what lie below. The human lays just a couple of stairs up from the bottom floor, lying on her back facing away from the king. Her leg is bent at an unnatural angle, ant traces of crimson begin to penetrate her tawny colored braid. Asgore takes a deep breath and begins his descent.

Soon Asgore is able to get a better look at the body. Her eyes stare at nothing, searching for an unseen something. Something beyond. A small red light pulses in her hand, whose fingers were forced apart by the impact. The girls's own soul floats inches from her chest.

Asgore pauses, hesitant to defile the dead once again. He could vaguely remember a ceremony he once witnessed, of a dead human being put to rest. Their soul was removed from the body and given to the ones held dearest to the deceased, who would release it after saying their goodbyes. It was an old ceremony, admittedly, and things were lkely different by now. But Asgore couldn't help but wonder... what would this human's family give to see her soul one last time?

No. Asgore closes his eyes. He cannot think of such things. What he did, what he's doing... it's for the greater good of monsterkind. The humans had made their choice long ago.

And they would pay for it.

Asgore tenderly lifts the human from the ground, careful not to disturb the soul. It bobs quietly alongside its owner, as if waiting for the command to go reenter its vessel. The second soul, the one in the human's hand, drifts a few feet behind the larger. Something about this strikes a nerve, and Asgore focuses his gaze ahead. As long as the souls do not wander far, their actions are not of his concern.

As he slowly ascended the steps, Asgore could not keep himself from thinking about the human in his arms. The poor girl. She had been so frightened in her last moments, burdened by grief and panic and pain. So desperate to run, to protect what was left of the seventh human.

A human who had undoubtedly been close to her.

The king sighs, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He too knew the pain of loss, and he too knew the weight of its burden. Unlike the girl in his arms, he had been grown when he experiencing his first real loss. After that, the loss had never really stopped. Chara left, and Asriel followed. Toriel left him as well, disgusted by his proclamation. Then the humans, seven of them dead. The guilt of their murder, being a murderer, had never left him. He knew it never would. And now, more innocent blood had been spilled. A human died in vain, her death serving no more purpose than to haunt him forevermore. The guilt would never leave.

When Asgore opens his eyes again, he sees that both human souls have drifted together. They float in the air a few feet in front of him, spinning slowly as if performing a dance. They revolve around each other, each tiny bob sending them a little further from him. The teeniest of sad smiles forms on Asgore's lips. Maybe, wherever the humans are now, they can finally be at peace.

He continues to walk, letting the souls continue their waltz, and enters the Throne Room once more. Sunlight gathers in pools all around him, the soft chirping of birds attempting to set him at ease. Somehow, this only makes the form in his arms feel heavier. He trudges forward, not caring for once how many flowers he damages on his way. They don't seem to matter so much anymore.

On and on he continues his somber march, only stopping once he reaches the Barrier. The twilight has begun to fade replaced instead by the grim darkness of a grieving night. The two souls illuminate the room, casting their respective glows onto the colorless, emotionless walls. He can clearly make out the small outline of the seventh human on the floor.

Asgore kneels down on the ground, cradling the human close to his chest. Part of him doesn't want to let go, doesn't want to admit that her life is over and done with. The soft glow of the souls in the middle of the room contradict this, but part of him dares to hope anyway. A faint moistness dampens his eyes.

Slowly, gently, he sets the body in his arms next to the one on the ground, so small in comparison. He waits for a moment, afraid to disturb the silence. He feels like an imposter on sacred lands, like he doesn't have the right to trespass. A shiver runs down his spine. No, he doesn't have the right to be here. But... there is something he still must do.

Almost reluctantly, Asgore picks himself up from the cold, unforgiving floors. Small dust particles stick to the hem of his cape and he turns to the souls, the source of light. He steps forward, knowing what he must do. What he was always doomed to do, at some point. His heart had always wished the day had never come.

The souls stopped their dance as he reached them, sensing the tension. They must know what comes next. Asgore reaches forward, wishing life could be less cruel. He reaches forward, a grieving father, a traitorous husband, an unworthy king.

A child murderer.

* * *

(A/N

...

...

That last sentence though.

Please follow, favorite, and review if you enjoyed this, and happy reading to you all.)


	29. Chapter 29

(A/N

I'm here! Back from the dead. Whew...

Anyway, thanks HydraEmotions, Deep Thought, and Capt. Schroller for reviewing my story! All help is always appreciated. Fun fact: I had kinda sorta maybe comletely forgotten about this story until HydraEmotions reviewed it what was a couple of days ago when I wrote this Author's Note. It's been... longer now. Life, you know? So I basically just went "well crap" and started writing again. So thanks HydraEmotions, and everyone else too, for motivating me!

Guess I left on a really tense point last chapter, so I'll just jump right back in now. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 29**

Hope stumbles forward, suddenly regaining feeling in her body. She sticks her hands out in front of her, steadying herself, and tries to focus her racing mind.

'I'm here.'

'I'm back.'

'I'm in the Judgement Hall.'

' _I'm alive_.'

Hope's head snaps upward. Frisk. If she's here, than that means Frisk has come back, too. Which also means... she's about to charge into danger again.

Hope dashes forward, ignoring the cries from her stiff muscles. she can't let her sister go it alone again, not against someone as strong as Asgore. 'I have to catch her, I have to catch her...'

 _S*** Hope! Where's the fire?_ Maeko sputters, gritting her teeth. Hope ignores her. She bursts unceremoniously through the doorway to the Judgement Hall, sprinting forward with hardly a pause. The tiles sparkle dazzlingly in the warm light, radiating pure warmth and regality. On a normal day, Hope likely would have stopped and just... stared. The beautiful scenery was certainly nothing she had seen anywhere else. Hope ignored this, however, only has just passing the first sunlit window when her leg is suddenly yanked out from under her. She hits the ground with a thud, her dagger skittering across the tile.

 _Don't tell me-_ Maeko growls, not needing to finish her thought. Hope sucks in a breath, glancing behind her. A vine coils around her ankle, still shifting slowly in that eerie horror movie style tt reminds her of only one monster. Maeko swears under her breath.

 _I'm gonna kill that f***ing flower when we're f***ing through this s***. Mark my words, I f***ing swear..._

Hope tugs on the vine with fumbling and uncoordinated hands, desperately trying to get a firm grip. A sharp pain in her hand makes her jerk it backwards, gasping briefly. Blood wells up from a gash in her palm. Hope watches as thorns begin to form around the vine's surface, creating a sort of impenetrable barrier. Tiny cuts begin to form on her ankle.

'Maeko, help!' Hope cries into her mind, reaching out again to try to find somewhere safe to grab on the vine. More needle-like thorns form wherever she tries to place her hands.

Maeko is quiet for a moment, and Hope can almost feel the gears in her mind whirring. She gasps. _Hope, wait! What about your knife?_ She points with a shadow finger.

Hope whirls around, seeing the bone dagger Sans gave her resting a few feet away. She reaches for the handle, realizing immediately that it's probably a lost cause. It's so close, but not close enough. She reaches, stretching as far as she can go, until she can practically feel the air around it. Her fingers extend to their full length, barely able to brush the surface. Almost...

The knife is suddenly yanked backwards by another vine. "No!" Hope shouts. The sudden defeat weighs frustratingly on her shoulders. She was so close. Only a second later, something yanks the vine around her ankle, driving the needles further into her skin. Hope cries out, helpless and in pain as she's dragged backwards across the smooth tile. An evilly familiar grin greets her, only ten feet away.

"Looking for something?" Flowey asks, dangling a knife in front of him. Hope freezes, eyes suddenly glued to the menacing form looming in front of her. The same red barbed thorns that cut into Hope's ankle now protrude from his stem, which is longer than usual. His petals fan out around his head menacingly, reminiscent of that one dinosaur that attacked Dennis in the car in Jurassic Park. The name of the dinosaur doesn't come to mind. Hope is snapped back into the present by Maeko shouting profanities.

Hope swallows. "Flowey?" she asks in a small voice. Flowey just grins in reply, making Hope's stomach clench. Thorny vines suddenly shoot up from the ground around Hop, and she screams, pulling her knees up to her chest. They close in in a cage around her, forming rope-like bars and a ceiling before Hope can make an escape. SHe suddenly feels claustrophobic, afraid the vines are going to descend and slowly crush her. Instead, they freeze in place, content with their job of containment. Flowey cackles.

"You're such an IDIOT!" he shouts, narrowing his eyes at Hope. "You really think I'll let you play hero here? Go swoop in and save your sister from certain death?" Hope flinches, clutching her legs closer to herself and digging her nails into her calves. Maeko trembles with rage.

"I mean, really," Flowey continues gleefully. "look at yourself! Trembling in fear, curled up in a ball at the bottom of a cage. Do you really think _you_ are going to be able to save _anyone_?"

Hope stares, the words playing on repeat in her head. She doesn't even try to fight them back with cries of "You're wrong!" and "I will save her!" this time. She knows it, and he knows it too. Because... Flowey's right. Hope can't save anyone. Not her sister, not herself. She is worthless, useless. A waste of time and space.

"enough'a this," a voice says from behind Hope. Her heart leaps with joy. Could it be? She whirls around and sees a face with a grin, but not the evil, menacing one she had grown to fear. It's a different, permanent, skeletal grin that once frightened her but now means her only salvation. Hope leaps up and wraps her arms around the short skeleton.

"Sans!" she exclaims, bubbly with relief and happiness. She could almost see his grin widen at her enthusiasm.

"heh. c'mon, kid," he says, gently guiding Hope's arms off of him. "let's get outta here." He puts his hand on her shoulder, and Hope can't hold in the smile that forms. Everything else seems forgotten, lost in the past, and nothing matters now except that Sans came to her rescue, saved her like he promised to. Hope is ready, so ready, for the weird sensation that always comes when Sans uses one of his "shortcuts," however nauseating they may sometimes be. But then, as Hope stares at Sans, she realizes she forgot one very important factor.

Time seems to slow as Sans' pupils disappear into nothing, his smile slowly shrinking, allowing the horrible inevitability to sink in. Even Hope's trembling seems oddly slow, like an weird sort of swaying.

"Sans..." she whispers, knowing what has happened but not ready to face it. Scarlet leaks through the front of Sans' white shirt, and a vine snakes away from his back. The world suddenlyeaps into overdrive. Hope gasps.

"No no no no! Sans!" Hope shouts, gripping the skeleton's bony shoulders. "No no no, you're okay, Sans. Don't do this to me, you're okay! You're okay!" Her words come out in a tumbled mesh, desperate and pointless and useless. Her fingers dig into his shoulderblades as her eyes dart between his two eye cavities, searching for some sort of reassurance. He's okay, he has to be. Sans can never get hurt, never be caught. He is invincible, undefeatable. His pupils reappear, tiny, pained pinpricks in vast sea of blackness.

"sorry kiddo," Sans says, managing a strained chuckle. "i tried." Almost immediately after, he crumbles to dust in Hope's hands. Hope screams. His sweatshirt hangs in her grasp, all the rest of his clothes falling to the ground as their skeleton inhabitant disintegrates. Hope's hands shake as she grips the sweatshirt, so soft and blue and covered in dust. Flowey whistles in awe.

"Oh, Smiley Trashbag. You had it coming." Hope tears her eyes away from the clothing in her hands, turning to the evil face looming above. "Always where you shouldn't be... oh, well. Can't be helped now." Flowey chuckles darkly.

"You know, Frisk is battling Asgore right now," he muses, shrinking down to his normal size. He disappears into the ground, then reappears closer to Hopes cage. "I'm sure that's why you were so eager to get to her." Hope remains silent, and Flowey smirks.

"Hehe... I don't think she'll ever be able to change his mind. And even if she does..." He grins, taunting Hope with his hidden information. "Well, let's just say she'll have absolute _hell_ to go through." Flowey disappears into the ground, his gleeful laughter ringing in Hope's ears long after the echoes subside.

Maeko absolutely loses it. _You monster!_ she shrieks, fists clenched so hard her nails would have been digging into her palms if she had a body. _You killed him! You killed Sans! You- you don't deserve this! You don't deserve to torture my friends! If I had a body, I would kill you! Can you hear me? I WILL KILL YOU!_

Hope crumples to the floor, defeated. Her knees land in the hard, gritty dust of Sans, and Hope can feel the knife being driven into her own back. It shouldn've been her, he didnt deserve this. It should've been her, it should've been her...

"Oh Sans..." she whispers, a tear running off the bridge of her nose. "I am so sorry. I... I could've... I could've done better..." She hiccups, fear and grief turning her limbs to lead. Sans, the skeleton she once thought invincible, was now lying in ashes at her feet. She should've done something, she should've thrown herself in the way. It's all her fault, all her fault... and Flowey's. A sudden burst of anger propels her to her feet and into the prison bars.

"You can't keep doing this to me forever!" she shrieks, rattling the vines. "You have to stop eventually! Just let me out, end your game. Please!" She shrieks loudly and horribly, the sound reverberating around the room. Her mind races, knowing she can't bear to have her sister die again, to have _anyone_ die again. She has to save Frisk, and once she does that, she can save Sans too, right?

Hope looks up and sees the dagger in front of her cell. She reaches her arm through the bar until her shoulder stops her, digging into her collarbone. The dagger remains frustratingly out of reach, at least thee feet past the furthest tip of her fingers.

 _Come on... come on!_ Maeko growls, _You need to get the knife. You have to get out of here!_

"I... can't! I can't get it," Hope replies, pointlessly stretching her arm. She tries her leg, but her thigh won't fit through the small gap. Stupid legs, stupid body.

 _Well try harder!_ Maeko barks, pounding her fist on an imaginary wall.

"I am trying!" Hope protests, "What am I supposed to do?"

 _I don't know!_ Maeko snaps, her voice reverberating off the walls of Hope's mind. _This is your sister. You can think of something!_

"I can't think of anything!" Hope wails, tears smearing all the colors of reality. "I'm trying, really I am, but I can't-"

 _If you really cared, you'd stop being so useless and DO SOMETHING!_ Maeko yells, then immediately stops. She and Hope both sit in a dumbfounded silence.

 _Wait, no, Hope, I didn't mean that, I swear-_ Meako starts, trying to take back the venom that left her tongue, but it's too late. Hope stares at the floor where bits of Sans dust have been moved by a draft. It seems so calm, the little bits of grit being gently pushed from one corner to another. Maybe it's calm where he is, too. Monster death can't be much different than human death. Darkness, nothingness, calm and quiet and thoughtless. But still death all the same.

"You're right," she says after a long silence, her voice quieter than a mouse's. "You are absolutely right. I am the most useless, worthless, pointless piece-of-crap being to ever walk this earth." She turns to Sans' sweatshirt, which had at some point escaped her grasp. It tells silent jokes, riddles her with puns that she loves and Maeko can't stand. His smile lingers in the fabric, mischievious and laid-back, not always comforting but welcome all the same. Her words catch in her throat. "I'm a failure."

Hope holds Sans' sweatshirt to her face, unable to contain the sobs that echo around the hall. Useless, pathetic, pointless, worthless.

 _Hope, no, please-_ Maeko begins, but is then suddenly cut off. Hope freezes. That's not right. She... can't feel her.

"M-Maeko?" she asks, her voice trembling. "Maeko!" Her friend doesn't answer, and Hope can't sense her anymore. Something happened, something terrible happened. Maeko's gone. Hope begins to tremble.

"You were right, Maeko. You finally said the truth," she whispers, every word stabbing her heart. "I deserved that. Every word you said. I failed Frisk, than I failed Sans, and now I've failed you too." She pauses only a second, voice cracking. "Hear that Flowey? I'm a freaking failure!" Hope looks down at the sweatshirt in her hands. The fabric trembles ever so slightly in her grip, unable to suppress the tremor in her hands. Hope shouts, hurling it at the vines. She sobs again, burying her head in her hands, but freezes when she hears a muffled _thunk_. Something solid hit the floor. But... she only threw a sweatshirt.

Hope crawls over to the blue heap now lying on the ground and reaches inside one of the pockets. Her fingers brush against something not fabric, and she quickly wraps her hand around it and yanks it out. Her spirits drop when she sees what it is.

A hot cat.

It stares up at her with tiny round eyes, friendly and cute. Hope blinks hard to ward away tears. A stupid hot cat... why, Sans? Who just... carries those around?! Hissing through her teeth, Hope chucks the hot cat as hard as she can through the vines. She snatches up the sweatshirt, hoping with all her might that there's something in the other pocket, _anything_ except food. This time she jams her hand in, desperate to find something else. Her fingers immediately close around something jagged and sharp. She's so happy that she hardly even feels the pain as she tugs the free from the sweatshirt.

Hope stares at the weapon in her hand, moving her hand away from what turns out to be the blade of a bone dagger. It's handle feels rough against her palm, the blade jagged and dangerous as her own. She can hardly believe her eyes. Of course Sans would have one too. He wouldn't just give Hope his only knife. He may have trusted Hope well enough, but he wasn't stupid (though the hot cat suggested otherwise).

Hope takes a breath, guiding the knife blade to one of the vines. Then, quickly, she begins to saw.

* * *

(A/N

Whoa! That was quick. Not nearly as busy as some of my other chapters, amiright? *awkward laughter*

Flowey really sucks, doesn't he?

Anyway, we're finally here at the end, what I (and hopefully you) have been waiting for: Omega Flowey. Yup folks, you're about to get all up front and personal with this guy, 'cause he's gonna grate on your nerves like nobody's business! Unless you happen to like him, in which case... I am not with you on that one, friend. But yeah, it's about to go down, so brace yourselves.

Might I just add, the editing process on this one took _so long._ As in, a week. Uuuuuggggghhhh. I'm such a slow editor.

Thank you for reading this chapter, and please follow, favorite, and review if you enjoyed it. Haaaaaaaaaaaappy reading!)

(Also, before I forget, Sistertale's anniversary is on June 6th (has it really been a whole year?), and I was thinking that maybe, just for fun, I could write some extra short or something. Or multiple. Depends on how I'm feeling. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to let me know in te reviews or send me a PM. Anyway, just thought that could be cool. No pressure though!)


	30. Chapter 30

(A/N

Hey guys. I'm actually posting on time today. Woo! Score! It feels nice to know that, you know, I didn't actually make you guys wait a whole _month_ (at least) for this one. There was one time I waited so long that I almost lost all of my documents in the Doc Manager. That was a scary moment...

Thank you to my fabulous reviewers (I'm going all Mettaton here) musicalocelot, Minerva Arhedes, and xPricefieldx! Also thank you to all of my other fabulous darlings who support this story just by reading it. As always, I appreciate you guys so much!

...

Okay so maybe the Mettaton thing was taking it a bit too far...

Heck if I know. It's like 11:28 PM when I wrote this, so I'm just kinda tired and mildly delirious.

Anyway, my Author's Note today does not match the chapter's tone _at all_ , so be warned. Although there is a fair bit of fluff later. But yeah. Reading!)

* * *

 **Chapter 30**

Frisk rolls forward, dodging another wave of flames. Their snaking tendrils reach for her. The fiery walls close in from every direction, threatening to swallow her whole, but she darts between the gaps. Asgore's emotions remain ambiguous behind a cloak of shadow.

Then the attack is over, the flames shrinking into nothing to make way for Frisk's ACT boxes. She hesitates, then chooses FIGHT, swallowing her guilt. She never wanted to fight. She never wanted to hurt anyone. But so far... it's the only thing that's working.

Frisk darts forward, slashing her knife out against Asgore's armor. A red streak appears where she hit, a now familiar and unwelcome indication of a successful hit.

Asgore's eyes widen in shock and pain, and he collapses onto one knee. He bows his head, ashamed and in pain. Frisk clamps her hands over her mouth, horrified. She didn't kill him, right? She can't kill him. She can't kill! She never wanted to hurt anybody. Why did he make her hurt him?

Asgore closes his eyes, completely exhausted. His eyebrows draw together in painful mourning. He remains silent for a while, allowing his breathing to return to normal.

"Ah..." he finally says, not opening his eyes. Frisk waits, her own eyes wide and fearful. She wants to rush forward and hug the king, clutching him tightly and telling him over and over how sorry she is. But she waits, frozen. Asgore is silent for several seconds. "...So that is how it is." More silence.

Frisk slowly lowers her hands, unsure but convinced that Asgore is not going to die right in front of her. The tough and resilient facade he wore has crumbled away, revealing a broken and hurting man. He sighs heavily.

"I remember the day after my son died," he murmurs. "The entire Underground was devoid of all hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans." He pauses, further bowing his head, then shakes his head disgustedly.

"In a fit of anger, I declared war. I said that I would destroy any humans that came here. I would use their souls to become godlike... and free us from this terrible world. I would destroy humanity and let the monsters rule the surface, in peace. Soon the people's hopes returned." He pauses again, his sorrow deepening. "My wife, however, became disgusted with my actions. She left this place, never to be seen again."

A new understanding came to light in Frisk's mind, along with a deep pity. Asgore doesn't want to hurt her. He is good. But a bad thing happened, and made him sad and angry. She looks down. She knows all too well what sad and angry people can do.

Asgore takes a deep breath. "Truthfully..." he begins, trailing off. "I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope. But... I cannot take this any longer." Asgore's face crinkles into despair, his eyebrows drawing painfully close.

"I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child. Please... young one..." Asgore turns his head to the side, as if trying to hide his shame.

Frisk watches with a heavy heart. All she wants is to make Asgore smile again.

"This war has gone on long enough. You have the power... take my soul, and leave this cursed place."

Two ACT boxes appear in front of Frisk: MERCY and FIGHT. She glances at them, then up at Asgore. His face is solemn, ready to accept his fate. He doesn't expect mercy. But... why? Doesn't he want to live? Doesn't he want to see the surface? Doesn't he want to make his people happy?

Frisk looks down at her choices, knowing what she's going to choose. Everyone deserves a second chance, especially nice people. Asgore's nice. She chooses MERCY, smiling softly. Everyone deserves forgiveness.

Asgore lifts his head a little, confusion and anguish plain on his face. "After everything I've done to hurt you..." He looks up, open eyes filled with sorrow. "You would rather stay down here and suffer... than live happily on the surface?" Frisk thinks about this. She does want to live on the surface, but... Asgore is so nice. And so is Papyrus, and Toriel, and Alphys. Sans is kinda creepy, but he's still cool. Her smile widens, and she nods eagerly.

A faint smile forms on Asgore's lips, growing a little bit every moment. "Human..." he begins with a quiet conviction. "I promise you, for as long as you remain here... my wife and I will take care of you as best as we can." He pauses, memories alight in his eyes. "We can sit in the living room telling stories... eating butterscotch pie... we could be like..." He stops, smile growing. Real hope shines in his eyes. "A family."

Frisk smiles, clapping her hands once. That's all she really ever wanted. A family. She can have a nice dad, and a nice mom, and they could go find Hope and be happy. No more scary parents. No more fear. She lets the thoughts dance in her head, wonderful visions of a future in the Underground. Asgore's smiling too. He wants it just as much as she does.

Then, suddenly, a ring of white petals surrounds Asgore. In a blink, the petals close in, hitting Asgore at full force. Frisk's eyes widen. Oh no...

Asgore's pupils shrink, and before he has time to react, his body crumbles to dust.

"No!" Frisk cries, tears springing to her eyes. A soul, the soul of Asgore, floats in front of her, weak and wobbly. Another white petal materializes and flies into it, breaking the soul into two pieces, which then crumble into a million. Frisk can only stare in horror then as a tiny flower with yellow petals pops out of the ground in front of her.

"You _idiot_ ," Flowey greets, his voice too chipper for his words. He wears an easy smile. "You haven't learned a thing in this world..." Six vines lower from above, releasing the six human souls. They circle around Flowey, accepting him as their owner. Frisk doesn't know what's going on.

"In this world," Flowey growls, his eyes disappearing into pools of black, tiny white irises floating eerily in the middle. His smile is jagged and creepy. "It's _kill_ or _be_ killed." He laughs, huge and booming and all consuming. His jaw extends freakishly long, and the whole world fades into white. Soon, Frisk can only hear blood pounding in her ears as all her senses are consumed.

Suddenly, she's is back in the abyss again, swallowed again by inky blackness. She's still alive this time, however. She can feel it. The glowing white star twinkles to her right, but it's not the same. Instead of magnifying it's magnificence, the darkness seems to tamp it down, swallow it up and extinguish its power. The star flickers weakly as Frisk watches. Dread weighs on her conscience as she touches it, unsure. She's shocked to find it radiates icy cold instead of its usual all-encompassing warmth. It explodes outward, sending an icy chill down Frisk's spine as she's transported back into her new reality.

Frisk opens her eyes again to discover herself in another abyss. It's exactly the same as the place she was just in except for the icy coldness. She shivers, rubbing her arms. White words materialize in front of her.

 _Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS. One day-_

The voice cuts off suddenly. Frisk's eyes widen in alarm. That has never happened before. She can feel them trying to speak, fighting for control, but their efforts are fruitless. The words in front of Frisk glitch and became distorted, an odd low ringing noise echoing around the blackness.

"They all disappeared without a trace." another voice reads, deep and surreal, almost robotic. The words vanish the instant the new voice finishes, leaving Frisk in darkness once again.

Another white star appears in front of Frisk. She frowns at it, untrusting. This is wrong, all of it. Something has happened.

If only she knew what.

Frisk touches the star, receiving the same icy shock from before, and finds herself in yet another dark room. This time there's solid ground to stand on, however, and a normal yellow Save point stwinkles in front of her. She inches forward, using touching the star as she normally would and relieved to find her HP restored as usual.

 _The end._

Frisk pulls up her Save file, staring with apprehension. Her sparse amount of data is still displayed as usual, however underwhelming. The sight of it is a much-needed relief for Frisk, and she sighs. At least she still has her Determination. That's what makes her Superman, right?

Suddenly, an invisible force slams into the Save file box, creating a large red crack. Frisk scrambles backwards, horrified. She turns around and around, searching for the source of the impact, but there's nothing. No one. She turns back just in time to watch it happen again, the crack spiderwebbing outwards. The thing hits it again, widening the red crack still.

 _Save points erased._

Something hits the Save box one final time, breaking it. Frisk shields her face as the pieces of her file rain down like shards of glass, sprinkling her hands with tiny cuts. Flowey's enormous head appears above Frisk, hovering like a ghost. His expression is unconvincingly chipper and innocent. He statics out twice before beginning his monologue.

"It's me, Flowey," he begins, activating his friendly facade. "Flowey the flower. I owe you a huge thanks." His smile widens, causing his eyes to crinkle. If Frisk wasn't so frightened, she might have even thought he looked nice, like the flower she first met. But he's not nice. He's mean.

Evil.

Flowey looks off to the side sheepishly. "You really did a number on that old fool," he continues, glancing back at Frisk. "Without you, I _never_ could have gotten past him." Icy dread and guilt wash over Frisk. She didn't want to hurt anyone! Why did Flower want to hurt her, hurt Asgore? Why is he doing this? She can't understand!

Flowey's face suddenly morphs into Asgore's. "But now, with _your_ help... he's _dead_ , and _I've_ got the human souls!" The Asgore head turns into a skull, which crumbles into Flowey's face. He wears a paranormally huge grin of pure malice for a brief moment before his head statics out again, reappearing as its normal, nonthreatening self. He glances off the to the side.

"I've been empty for so long... it feels great to have a soul inside me again." He smiles. "Hm, I can feel the wriggling." Flowey giggles playfully. The sound is unsettling. He turns back to Frisk, narrowing his eyes.

"Aww, you're feeling left out, aren't you?" he says in mock sympathy. Frisk hurriedly shakes her head. Flowey laughs. "Oh c'mon, don't deny it! I can see it on your face. And that's just perfect, anyway. After all, I only have six souls. I still need one more..." His eyes suddenly melt into wide, empty sockets, two tiny white petals for pupils.

"Before I become _God._ " He cackles in a raspy, inhuman tone, not even himself anymore. He continues on in the threatening voice. "And then, with my newfound powers... monsters. Humans. Everyone. I'll show them all the _real_ meaning of this world." He cackles again, disappearing in a shower of static only to reappear seconds later, his face normal again. "Oh, and you can forget about escaping to your old Save file. It's gone _forever_." He pauses, seeing Frisk's fright, and smiles in false reassurance.

"Oh, but don't worry. Your old friend Flowey has worked out a replacement for you!" His creepy empty-eyed expression returns. "I'll save over your own _death_. So you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces. Over, and over, and over..." Frisk shudders, overwhelmed with fear. How can she, a little kid, stand a chance against Flowey? He has six human souls. But... she has to try.

Frisk takes a breath, unable to suppress the fear swirling around inside her. "No," she whispers, so quiet even she could barely hear herself.

Flowey stopped, tilting his head. "... What? Do you really think you can stop _me_?" he asks. Frisk lets out a teeny squeak, then slowly nods. Flowey shakes his head. "Hee hee hee... you really _are_ an idiot."

Frisk watches helplessly as the six souls circle around Flowey, closing in and disappearing along with him. Everything goes dark. Frisk waits when suddenly her soul appears in front of her and bloodred lights begin to flash. She watches in sheer terror as an enormous shadow begins to creep in, at least five times her height and twenty times as big. The lights suddenly flash on, leaving Frisk frozen.

The monster in front of her has two arms, each one easily the size of a semi, maybe two. Giant vines writhe around him, the thorns on each one the size of swords. Random assorted pipes stick out the back of him, all weaving into two giant ones that hook up to a large screen perched on top of a giant, horrifying monstrosity of a head. The TV displays a face. Flowey's face. Except it's not Flowey. The eyes are different, red with green pupils and staring straight at her. It has to be Flowey, though.

No one else could turn into something so bone-chillingly horrifying.

Flowey cackles, so loud Frisk has to cover her ears to keep her eardrums from bursting. He goes quiet, and everything is still for a few precious seconds.

Then it begins.

Frisk dives out of the way as vines fly at her, at least ten of them, and barely manages to escape unharmed. Another wave comes in before the first's even over, forcing Frisk to roll out of the way. A third round shoots out at her only a half second later, catching her completely by surprise. The sharpened vines plunge into her at full force.

Frisk screams at the tidal wave of pure agony that crashes down on her. The little HP bar in the corner of her vision shrinks by about half, no longer displaying numbers but clearly getting its point across. She's not even fully recovered when white flower petals fly at her, jagged and fast and absolutely everywhere. Several briefly embed themselves in her arm before disappearing. Then, as soon as she's done with that, giant waves of ninja star looking things fly everywhere, forcing her to duck in order to survive. She dodges around several more razor sharp petals and ninja stars, running straight into another. Frisk casts a wild glance around, knowing she needs somewhere to rest. The only place not absolutely dripping with flying sharp objects is next to one of Flowey's enormous arms. She dashes straight for it, not even bothering to consider the consequences.

Once she gets there, Frisk hunches over, gasping. So far, the only thing that seems to be keeping her going is adrenaline and pure, raw determination, both of which are ebbing fast. If she keeps going on like this, it'll only be a matter of time before the rest of her HP is taken by a stray petal. Or some other huge death device...

Like a giant flamethrower.

Frisk leaps just in time to avoid getting burnt to ashes. The flames still get a good bite in, however, and Frisk's HP bar drops another significant portion. These flames feel even more intense than Asgore's. Tears of fear and agony squeeze out of her eyes, sapping the rest of her strength. By this point, she can hardly stand anyway. One more shot and it's over.

Frisk glances over at her sliver of an HP bar. She's so afraid, completely and utterly alone in this abyss. Will her Determination save her if she loses this battle? A growing part of her knows it won't. Her super power is gone.

Everything feels like it's going in slow motion as Frisk looks up, right into Flowey's eyes. They see right through her, boring deep into her soul and prying out all her weaknesses. He knows how close Frisk is to losing, and he knows what that means for him. For the Underground. Vines fly at Frisk, unbelievably slow in her daze but still too fast for her to ever hope to avoid. The tears begin to blur her vision, and Frisk sobs, crossing her arms in an X over her face. She doesn't want to die. She wants to live on, with Hope and the monsters. She wants that family Asgore promised her. She doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to die...

"I don't want to die!" she wails, her agonized voice rebounding off everything, magnified a million times over. The vines are just about to reach her when-

Something block them.

Slowly, Frisk lowers her shaking arms, staring at the form of her savior standing in front of her, arms stretched out protectively, facing the monster that almost killed took Frisk's life. Frisk's stares in horror at the familiar green shirt and jeans of the girl she loves, the braid she so often sees, the tall form of a sister she holds dear.

Hope looks back at Frisk. Her emerald eyes fill with all the things she wants to say, all the things she wants to gasp in her final breath. All she manages to summon is a weak, pained smile before her legs give out, sending her to the ground.

Frisk leaps forward, eyes wide with panic and fear. "Hope!" she yells, shaking her sister. "Hope!" Hope doesn't reply, her body absolutely still. Frisk tries in vain to turn her over so she can see her face, finally managing to do so after some labored efforts.

Hope's unseeing eyes stare at the ceiling. Her chest doesn't rise and fall like it should, and her face doesn't move at all. Frisk shakes her sister, the person in the world she loves most. "Hope!" she screams again. She expects Hope to suddenly reanimate, for her to grin and reassure Frisk that she was only pretending. She would never leave her sister's side. But her glass eyes don't flick to Frisk's face like they should. They only stare up at the darkness ahead.

A little purple heart floats up out of Hope's chest. Frisk's eyes fixate on it. Is that...?

Before she can truly register what it is, a vine snatches it out of the air in front of her. Flowey pulls it up to his screen, giggling gleefully. "Another soul! And from the coward, of all people," Flowey exclaims, clutching the Hope's soul tightly. "With this I have the power to become _God_."

Frisk watches helplessly from the ground as Flowey cackles, squeezing the fragile heart so hard she fears it might shatter like cracked glass. He turns his gaze on her.

"Ha! I don't even _need_ you anymore," he gloats. His tone takes on a menacing edge. "I could kill you and never look back. I don't need your soul. I already have seven!" He pauses, then grins.

"You know what?" he says, grin widening. "I bet I can kill you even without a seventh soul. I don't need this to beat you into a bloody pulp." Flowey's vines form a cage around Hopes soul, which secures itself right above his TV head. "I think I'll just stick to my original plan. Except this time, when I finally get bored, I'll have _eight_ souls instead of seven. Hear that? Eight!" Flowey laughs the cruel, insane laugh that very few can pull off so convincingly. He can hardly speak through his glee. "And there's nothing you can do about it!"

Frisk's breath catches in her throat. Flowey just killed her sister. He _murdered_ her in cold blood. And now he's just _rubbing it in her face_? Suddenly this whole situation takes on a new meaning.

All the fear that Frisk had before suddenly melts away, revealing something new and much, much uglier: anger. Rage gives her new strength, fuels her. Flowey killed Hope. He killed Asgore. He's going to kill everyone else she loves if she doesn't end this right now.

Frisk stands, clenching her fists by her sides. She doesn't know when, and she doesn't know how, but she knows one thing for certain: she _will_ defeat this monster, even if it's the last thing she does. The voice in her head pipes up right on cue.

 _Your rage fills you with Determination_

* * *

(A/N

Hey y'all. I promised a short story to celebrate the story's anniversary, and gosh darn it I made a story! So please enjoy.

Also it's not canon. Yet. It might be one day. Or it might not. But you know... just figured I'd let you know.)

 **Birthday Wish**

"Hey. Hey Frisk. Hey. Hey," Hope whispers. She sits, crouched, next to her sister's bed where Frisk lays, eyes closed, face turned up to the stars on her ceiling. She's awake; Hope can tell by the way she tries to suppress her smile. "Get up, lazy bones," Hope prompts again, poking Frisk in the side.

"Don' wanna..." Frisk mutters, but he slow smile make her claim unconvincing at best.

Hope rolls her eyes. Two can play at this game. "Oh, okay," she sighs, exaggerating her reluctance. "I guess I'll just have to watch this amazing birthday surprise aaaaaaaaall by myself." Frisk's eyes snap open, and she sits up so fast that Hope falls backwards on her butt.

"Birthday?" she asks. Her eyes light up with enthusiasm.

Hope laughs. "Yes, silly," she replies, unable to keep the smile out of her voice. " _Your_ birthday." A sudden recognition appears in Frisk's round eyes, and a wide smile adorns her face.

"My birthday!" she exclaims, bouncing up and down on her bed. Hope laughs again, then quietly shooshes her. Frisk stops. "My birthday," she whispers again.

Hope grins. "Alright, birthday girl," she says, standing. "Remember that birthday sunrise I promised?" Frisk nods eagerly, moving to hop off the bed. Hope catches her just as she jumps down, swinging her into the air with some effort. Frisk squeals in delight, then lowers her volume when she remembers what time it is (that is, really early).

"Oh boy, you're getting heavy," Hope mutters, securing her hold on Frisk. "I'm gonna need to head to the gym to be able to keep doing this with you." Frisk giggles, wrapping her arms around Hope's neck. Hope offers a goofy grin, turning on her heel and marching out the door. They parade quietly down the hallway, Hope bouncing Frisk along while ignoring the burn in her arms. She really wasn't joking about the gym thing...

The two girls make it outside, and Frisk jumps down from Hope's arms, sparing no time in running down to the end of the driveway. Hope sighs, shaking her head. What an energetic little child. She spares a moment to look around, admiring the view. The front yard of this house is beautiful and spacious, immaculately trimmed and bordered by lovely planters filled with colorful blooms, which Hope has the pleasure of tending to. Frisk helps, of course, but her young child attention span often gets the best of her and sends her off after some small animal or another.

Recently, she had become enthralled with the mail, always wanting to say hi to the person who delivered it. The young lady was always nice to Frisk, and almost always had some form of candy to offer her. Hope suspected she had earned many fans this way.

"Hey lil' sis," she calls out, waving Frisk over. "Over here." Frisk dashes back towards where Hope had spread out a blanket on the ground, stopping right at the edge. She pretends to teeter there for a moment before flopping unceremoniously onto her stomach. Hope grins, laughing, and joins her, sitting on her haunches. She looks out at the horizon, which is just beginning to turn pink with the coming dawn. She smiles at her sister.

"Are you looking forward to seeing it?" she asks.

"Yeah!" Frisk exclaims, nodding enthusiastically while she bounces. She rolls over onto her back, looking briefly up at the sky before turning back to Hope and giggling.

Hope turns back to the light. "Yeah, me too," she murmurs, smile fading into something more wistful. It almost feels like she could sit here all day, watching the sky. Sometimes she wishes she could, just sit on this blanket and watch the sun travel its course, blazing its trail up across the sky and back down only to do it again the next day. What a brave thing, rising every day, knowing everyone's counting on seeing you again, even if they don't know it. How much courage would that take?

When Hope glances back at Frisk, she is amused to see her gaze absolutely transfixed on the horizon, watching with burning intensity as the light slowly creeps upward. Hope wonders what thoughts must be running through her head, what her young mind makes of it all.

"What'cha thinking about?" Hope whispers, poking Frisk in the side.

She jumps, then giggles, looking back up at the sky. "Monsters," she replies. "The sunset."

Hope instantly knows what she means. "You mean when we first came out of the Underground?" she asks. Frisk nods, smiling contentedly.

Hope looks back at the sky. Yeah, it reminds her of that too. She felt the same happiness then as she does now. Finally out, finally free, and finally not alone. Finally she had...

A family.

Hope sighs, closing her eyes. She remembers that moment like it was just a few hours ago, still fresh and new in her memory. Except that it wasn't really that recently. It had already been three months and fifteen days since that moment. So much had changed since then. Even now she can imagine herself standing there, all the weight suddenly lifting from her shoulders when she realizes that everything, for the first time, really will be okay.

"Hey!" Frisk whisper-shouts, shaking Hope's shoulder. Hope opens her eyes, glancing down. She arches an eyebrow at Frisk, who just giggles and points up. "There," she says.

Hope looks back at the horizon, watching in awe as the first sliver of sun reveals itself. It's a welcoming sight, calming in its own right, and Hope finds herself completely relaxed. She looks back and sees Frisk wearing the same expression. She hears her sigh.

"Pretty," Frisk breathes, and Hope can't help but agree.

The next few minutes pass in comfortable silence, an overwhelming blanket of peace having been lain across everything. Nothing would disturb it.

"WAKE UP LAZY BONES!" Both girls turn towards the source of the commotion, immediately recognizing that voice. It's Papyrus, awake bright and early to shove Sans off the couch in the house next door. Hope can't keep from laughing. Papyrus' voice sure does carry.

There's a brief commotion inside, which Hope can safely assume is Papyrus dragging Sans off of the couch and trying to force him to get off the ground. The loud, frustrated sigh that results is a pretty good indicator of how that works out. Papyrus strides out of the house in a huff, quickly spotting the two girls on the lawn.

"HUMANS!" he calls in greeting, waving a gloved hand. The girls wave back, Frisk giggling.

"Good morning Papyrus," Hope replies. "Having a little trouble with Sans?"

Papyrus puts his hands on his hips and marches over. "HE IS SUCH A LAZY BONES!" he exclaims, shaking his head. "HE'S SO LAZY THAT HE WON'T EVEN GO UPSTAIRS TO BED AND THEN SLEEPS ON THE COUCH ALL MORNING. WHY DOESN'T HE JUST GO TO BED ON TIME?"

Hope shrugs, grinning. "Well, I guess he's just too _bone_ tired to go upstairs," she starts. "I bet he can't even _cranium_ his neck enough to _cal-see-um_ that far. It's probably just easier to wait until to- _marrow_."

Papyrus scowls. "HUMAN, YOU ARE JUST AS BAD AS SANS," he says, shaking his head. Then he brightens. "BUT DO NOT FEAR. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL SAVE YOU FROM THE PUN-FILLED LIFESTYLE OF LAZINESS!" Papyrus strikes a heroic pose, a gust coming from seemingly nowhere and blowing his scarf out behind him like a cape. Frisk claps, and Papyrus beams.

"THANK YOU, LITTLE HUMAN, FOR SEEING MY BRILLIANCE!" he exclaims, bowing. He then straightens, eye sockets widening. "I'VE ALSO HEARD THAT IT IS A LITTLE HUMAN'S BIRTHDAY TODAY. IS THAT TRUE?" Frisk giggles, nodding. Papyrus smiles broadly. "THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL MAKE YOU A DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI BREAKFAST!" In one broad motion, Papyrus scoops Frisk into his arms and turns on his heel, running back into his house like a linebacker with the squealing child in tow.

Hope sighs, shaking her head. Looks like she was in for an interesting meal.

A few hours and a strange breakfast spaghetti later, Hope and Frisk find themselves at the zoo. Various members of the monster crew mill around, admiring the view. Alphys seems mildly troubled by the lion exhibit ("Is it really safe to store them there? There aren't any glass walls protecting the viewers... it that pit enough?"), while Asgore and Toriel watch the tigers, taking care to remain a safe distance away from each other. Undyne is absolutely determined to find a way into the rhino exhibit, which Papyrus is expressively warning her _not_ to do. Sans watches this exchange with a hint of amusement while Papyrus desperately calls on him to show Undyne some reason. Frisk has taken a particular interest in the polar bears, giggling and pointing for Hope every time one of the cubs rolls on the ground.

"Look! Look!" Frisk exclaimed for the what had to be at least the fifth time, tugging on the sleeve of Hope's purple sweatshirt.

"I see, I see," Hope replies, nodding. They both watch as the smallest bear takes a running leap at its sibling, cuffing it in the ear. The sibling turns around, growling in the smaller's face as it lunges again. This time, both bears are sent tumbling to the ground in a heap of white fur and yelping.

Hope clears her throat. "Oh my, looks like this one's gonna be awfully close, Steve," she announces, doing her best imitation of a sports announcer. "The smaller cub has a lead, but it's going fast. And... oh, a devastating blow to the small bear. Looks like big sister has a few choice words for her sibling!" Frisk giggles, hiding the lower half of her face in her red and blue striped turtle neck as Hope pretends to listen intently, 'interpreting' what the bears are saying. "And those choice words are... 'I like gummy bears.' Well, you heard it first, folks. She likes gummy bears! Kind of an odd snack for a bear..."

Frisk laughs out loud, leaning against Hope for support. She shoves her face into Hope's sweatshirt.

"Are you alright?" Toriel asks, beginning to walk over. She wears a cautious smile on her face. Frisk begins to calm down, the smile still plain on her face.

"It's okay Toriel," Hope reassures. "Frisk was just laughing so hard she looked like she was going to fall over. She's good now." Frisk nods, still hardly able to contain herself, and walks over to Toriel. She offers her hand, which Toriel accepts.

Toriel smiles. "Where would you like to go next birthday girl?" she asks.

"Penguins!" Frisk exclaims, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Toriel smiles gently.

"Alright. Let's go see the penguins then."

Toriel and Frisk go around rounding up all the monsters, and they all head off to see the penguins, who happen to be performing in a show. Papyrus cheers louder than anyone else in the crowd, and Alphys can't stop squealing about how cute they are. Despite the severe lack of violence (much to Undyne's dismay), everyone enjoys the show, agreeing to head back to Toriel's house to eat dinner and celebrate the remainder of Frisk's birthday.

The rest of the night is filled with fun and festivities, from a rousing and startlingly competitive game of hide-n-seek to an... interesting game of pin the tail on the donkey. At the end of the night, everyone gets to enjoy delicious piece of butterscotch cake before they head home to their nearby houses. Hope watches from the doorway while Toriel tucks Frisk in.

"Goodnight my child," she murmurs, kissing Frisk on the forehead. "Sweet dreams." Toriel rises, offering Frisk her warmest smile, and passes Hope. "Don't keep her up too long," she warns. Hope nods politely, then steps into the room and takes Toriel's place.

"Hey lil' sis," she greets softly. "So how'd you like today?"

"Fun," Frisk whispers, smiling and scrunching up her nose. "Hide and seek."

Hope laughs quietly, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, well. Who knew Sans would... well." Frisk grins, memories gleaming in her eyes.

Hope's smile softens. "So... what did you wish for when you blew out your candles?" she asks.

Frisk pauses, thinking back. "Days like this," she answers, smiling again. "Lots of them."

Hope smiles too. "Oh, that's a good wish," she says, affectionately ruffling Frisk's hair. Frisk bats away Hope's hand, faking a pout. Hope laughs. "I'm sure we can make that one work."

Both girls look out the window, watching the stars. They're especially bright tonight, as if they knew exactly how special today was going to be. Hope nods.

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll have a lot more days like this."

* * *

(A/N

Oh my goodness the fluff! What a big shift in mood, yeah? That was actually pretty weird, alternating between writing something so fluffy and something so... the opposite. But hey, glad I wrote 'em both.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter and the short. I poured my love into them both, though in much, _much_ different ways. Eheh...

Please follow, favorite, and review if you enjoyed this story, and happy reading!)


	31. Chapter 31

(A/N

Well that took longer than expected...

I'm sorry I tried.

Actually no that's a lie I slacked majorly. But I'm done now so woo!

Thank you musicalocelot and Agirl for your wonderful reviews! I really enjoyed reading them. You guys are all so nice!

Aaaaaaand here's your chapter! Just a heads-up, um... yeah, it's not super original (Omega Flowey and all), but it's here, so ya.

* * *

 **Chapter 31**

Frisk clenches her fists as she glares at Flowey. Her blood boils with hatred and a need for revenge as Flowey's screen displays a warning sign with an image of the light blue soul. Then Flowey vanishes, leaving behind only his TV head.

Giant white knives materialize from thin air and twirl in slow, synchronized circles. Frisk dodges around and in between them, ignoring the red tinge of her vision. She dips and sways, following the patterns of the knives, and manages to avoid getting hit altogether. She doesn't even notice the ACT button at first, only seeing it when she glances up. She feels a small spark of joy. This is her chance! Then the red thoughts swallows light ones, and her joy is smothered.

Frisk weaves her way through the maze of weaponized cutlery again without getting hit, reaching and pressing ACT button. Well, punching. Her fist tingles from the blow.

 _Call out for help,_ the voice instructs.

Frisk hesitates, narrowing her eyes. The last thing she wants to do is cry for help. But her dangerously low HP makes her grudgingly oblige. "Help!" she demands, glaring into the darkness. At first, there is no reply. After a moment, however, the knives vibrate and turn into green band-aids that gravitate towards her. She panics briefly - she can't dodge them!- but relaxes after one touches her. Green heals. She waves her arms around, catching as many of the band-aids as she can before they all disappear. Her HP is back to full.

The light blue soul catches Frisk's attention as it flickers on Flowey's TV screen. The outline of a girl appears in its place, her eyes closed as if she's sleeping. She vanishes quickly, replaced with Flowey's psychotic grin. The rest of him appears too, accompanied by a barrage of bombs.

Frisk dashes across the blackness, arms protecting her head as the explosions shake the ground. Giant flies zoom after her too, and several ram her back. They disappear the moment they do, like all other magic attacks, but the pain that flares up is still very real. Frisk grits her teeth. She could really use a fight option right now...

Right on cue, the FIGHT button appears in the middle of all the chaos. Frisk launches herself at it, getting caught in the outer flames of an explosion on the way. She grunts as the flames sear into her flesh, not actually damaging her skin but burning so intensely they might as well. She practically falls into the FIGHT button, which disappears the instant she does. An unseen force slashes at Flowey.

 _-14 HP!_

Frisk hisses through her teeth. Only fourteen? Numbers may be a relatively foreign topic to her, but something as strong and huge as Flowey has to have at least a bajillion HP.

Huge spikey centipede things suddenly appear in a poof of smoke, bouncing off of invisible walls as they race around the void. Frisk yelps, hitting the deck just in time to avoid a body slam. She's quickly forced back to her feet while vines chase after her, followed by more flies and a demonic fly trap that snaps at her heels. Just as fast as it all starts, the attacks end, leaving only the orange soul on the TV screen.

Giant white gloves appear all around, forming circles and reaching out for Frisk. She swerves around them like she did with the knives, not getting quite so lucky this time as a gloved finger catches her leg. The pain makes her clamp down on her tongue, instantly bringing tears to her eyes. Big mistake. She tastes blood

The ACT box appears amid the sea of gloves, joining in on their little dance. Frisk makes her way over carefully, avoiding any more deadly collisions, and presses it.

"Help!" she shouts again. This time she's more desperate, almost too much to be angry. She just wants out, out! Is safety too much to ask for anymore?

The gloves shift into green thumbs-ups as they continue on in their reaching patterns. Frisk catches as many as she can before they disappear. When she checks her HP again, it's filled about 3/4 of the way. Not bad.

This time on the screen, she sees the outline of a young boy. His eyes are closed, like the girl, but his eyebrows and mouth are more frowny. Flowey quickly takes his place, however, hiding the boy from sight, and initiates round three.

Stars shoot at Frisk, which she avoids without too much trouble. White text appears to her left, and she barely looks up in time to see it.

File Saved.

Suddenly she's under the stars again, barely having enough time to escape them. Weird. How could he-

Frisk is once again under the stars in a flash, and this time she doesn't react fast enough. One clips her shoulder, dropping her HP as she escapes, if only a little. Flowey chuckles and sends more waves of the stars at Frisk, firing them at a higher and higher speed. The FIGHT button appears again, this time right next to Frisk, and she manages to get to it.

 _-14 HP!_ the voice says again.

Frisk growls in frustration as vines shoot at her, forcing her to run. This is _not_ a wining battle. And suddenly she's back behind the vines again, about to be hit again. She gets out without a scratch a second time, relieved when Flowey disappears.

Walls appear on either side of Frisk, and she finds that her shoulders are just barely able to fit. Ballet slippers make up the ceiling above, their toes carved into wicked blades. They chop down at her like butcher's knives. She's forced to run up and down her hallway of a room to avoid them, taking one pointed toe straight to the head. She stumbles, stars dancing across her vision. Anger floods over her again. When she gets her hands on that stupid flower...

The ACT button appears among the murderous footwear, conveniently above Frisk's head. She jumps up, barely skimming the edge with her fingers, but it's enough. The button turns yellow.

"Help!" she shouts, cupping her hands around her mouth. The slippers morph into green music notes, which drift down lazily. Frisk sprints down the hallway, catching as many as she can with her hands. The walls suddenly blink out of existence, and Frisk only catches a flash of a girl on the TV screen before Flowey's contorted face takes her place.

More vines fly at Frisk than ever before, which she manages to dodge faster than she thought possible. Her rage gives her almost inhuman strength and focus, allowing her to do things she could never have done otherwise. Her fight to survive becomes an endless dance with an impossible rhythm and erratic beat. A dance involving flamethrowers, lasers, and giant weird vine creatures with giant heads and no eyes.

Interesting design.

Everything disappears again, revealing a wall of scrolling notebooks on either side. The words that fly out of them inflict damage, and more than just emotional. Some of words she can identify, but many of them are too long and unfamiliar. The voice takes the liberty of reading them for her.

 _Nightmare, cruelty, hatred,_ it reads as Frisk darts around them. _Despair, slaughter, terror. Horror... disquietude?_

Frisk furrows her eyebrows. Dis- disquiet- what? More strange words chase after her.

 _Qualm, anxiety, perturbation, foreboding, trepidation..._

The ACT button appears in the sea of unnecessarily complex vocabulary. Frisk presses it, glancing back, and watches as the words turn green and earn a more positive vibe.

Frisk manages to catch several of the words, including, mercy, light, and forgiveness. There's also enchantment, tranquil, placidity, amity, and several more terms Frisk doesn't recognize. The word hope is there too.

Frisk halts. There's something... different about the word hope. It's the other words, except not. Her eyes widen.

It's capitalized.

As Frisk looks around, she makes an astonishing discovery. The word hope is appearing all over the place now, except it's Hope, always capitalized. Hope. Like... a name.

Hope's name has replaced all the words now, become the only one there. Hope is everywhere, behind and in front of and right next to Frisk. She looks up at the TV, in awe but also confused and unsure. The outline of a girl, only a little younger than Hope herself, with shaggy hair and giant round glasses takes up the screen. Her expression is more intense than that of the other children. Her eyebrows are tightly drawn and she bites her lower lip, the image of pure concentration. Frisk looks back at the words and sees one last phrase before they all disappear:

Have Hope, Frisk.

The girl on the TV statics away in a blink, and Flowey reigns supreme once more. Frisk dodges away from vines, hardly able to keep her mind focused. The girl with the purple soul lingers in her mind.

Who is she, and was she in control of the words? What was she trying to do? Her words ring in Frisk's mind.

'Have Hope, Frisk.'

Frisk focuses on the battle, ducking under more stars, more flamethrowers. Except now, she's not so angry. That rage that drove her on feels far away now, a distant memory. Something else begins to fill her up now, shoving away her fright and anger and pessimisstic thoughts and pushing only two things forward.

Hope. And Determination.

Even through the enraging Saving and Loading, Frisk isn't... well, enraged. Hope, both her namesake and the girl associated, drives her on. Suddenly, Frisk doesn't want vengeance. The feeling that takes hold when she presses the FIGHT button is no longer horribly satisfying, but more a mixture of pity and necessity. Hope's face is front and center in her mind, cheering her on, telling her what she needs to do, telling her to stay determined. She views the green soul warning with new eyes.

Frying pans appear in the air, tossing up balls of flame that come blazing down. Several scorch through Frisk's clothing, but she ignores the pain as best she can. One of the pans tosses down the ACT button.

"Help!" Frisk calls out, more of a greeting than a plead or a demand. A welcoming call for whatever help may come. The balls of fire turn into green eggs.

 _"Just like green eggs and ham,"_ Hope laughs in the back of her mind. Frisk smiles. She loves it when Hope reads that story to her.

Ninja stars soar above as Frisk dips and dodges, reaching the FIGHT button. The small amount of damage Flowey takes doesn't frustrate her so much anymore (though it's not a comfort) because Hope is right there with her, encouraging her on.

 _"You can do this, Frisk,"_ she insists, confidence shining in her eyes. _"I know you can. I believe in you!"_

The yelow soul launches its attack, a large white pistol firing at random. One of the bullets turns out to be the ACT button, which Frisk chases down.

"Help!" she calls again, turning toward the gun. It shoots clovers instead of bullets, an ammunition Frisk is much more eager to accept. She doesn't actually manage to catch very many, however, and only restores about a quarter of her HP.

The pistol disappears, but nothing takes its place. Frisk turns to the TV, where the yellow soul still hovers, then watches as the other souls reveal themselves from behind it, fanning out. They leave the TV screen, floating down to Frisk.

She watches in awe as the souls circle around her. It's almost as if they're whispering things to her as they pass, murmuring words of encouragement to help her along. Then they all stop. Green objects fly out of the darkness around Frisk, gifts from the humans before her, and float down. They keep coming, all the eggs and clovers and music notes, the thumbs-ups and band-aids and words of hope. The word Hope, actually. Then the souls spread out to the edges of the battlefield.

The whole place shakes for a moment, and when Flowey reappears, his maniacal grin no less certain. His eyes give away his true feelings, however, darting around to the souls gathered. There's a flash, and Frisk gasps.

 _Flowey's defense dropped to zero!_ the voice exclaims, and the world immediately goes to chaos.

Ninja stars fly at Frisk in waves from above, crashing down on her in a never-ending barrage of fury. Bees perform their dive-bombing routine as venus fly traps sprout from the shadows, and the weird spikey centipedes ricochet around like lunatics in a bouncy house. Flamethrowers appear on occasion, blasting waves of fiery heat to ruin hair and spirits alike. Frisk runs straight through it all for the new FIGHT button in the middle of the war zone. She glances up just in time to see the red slash and hear Flowey's stunned cry.

 _-169 HP!_

Frisk's jaw drops open. 169? That's like... really big! She laughs, all her nervous and giddy energy getting the best of her. 169! What a huge difference.

Stars raining down from above force Frisk out of her thoughts. She ducks around the onslaught, looking back to see the FIGHT button has already reappeared, a calm in the middle of calamity. Frisk launches herself at it, slamming it down.

 _-176 HP!_

Frisk is forced to her knees as one of the crazy centipedes launches itself over her head, but as soon as she's back up the FIGHT button is too, as if it was waiting for her. She presses it again.

 _-199 HP!_

Frisk takes a step back, tensing up in preparation for more homicidal insects, and barely has a second to react as a column of flame ignites right in front of her, through the FIGHT box. The heat wave knocks her onto her back.

The flames vanish quickly, and Frisk hops to her feet, eyes wide. The FIGHT box! Her breath quickens as she realizes what must have happened. She turns to the side, mind reeling, and sees the box right next to her. She sighs in relief.

That could have been a disaster.

 _-154 HP!_

After that, the FIGHT box begins appearing the instant it disappears, flickering in and out of existence like a ghost and allowing Frisk to press it on rapid fire.

 _-202 HP! -169 HP! -161 HP! Minus 172, 192, 184, and 182 HP!_ the voice shouts, breathless. Frisk grins, eyes wide and wild. Exhilaration floods through her veins.

She stumbles backward from the FIGHT box when the several bees fly out from under it. Vines jab at her from somewhere, chasing her farther away and elliciting a sudden sense of panic. One vine slashes through her sweater sleeve. She looks down to see actual blood.

So vines make you bleed. That stinks.

Frisk races back to the FIGHT box, beginning to jam her hand into it once more.

On and on the battle goes, this time with Frisk winning. Attacks fall on her like hail but green items are sprinkled in too, like the delicious icing on a cake where someone substituted salt for sugar. Down and down Flowey's HP goes, slowly but surely. The damage inflicted on him when Frisk attacks increases along with it, going from the hundreds to the two hundreds and well beyond that.

 _-370!_ the voice exclaims, sounding about how Frisk feels; exhausted behind the adrenaline rush and excited for the battle's nearing end. _-719!_ A green word heals her.

Hope.

The Hope in Frisk's head smiles encouragingly. _"C'mon little sister,"_ she urges, her voice soft. _"You got this."_ Frisk nods, pressing the FIGHT button.

 _-708 HP!_ the voice shouts. All the action around Frisk suddenly freezes as a scream rips through the air.

Flowey's scream.

"No... _no!_ This _can't_ be happening!" he shouts disbelievingly. The frozen attacks all around Frisk begin to quake as if rattled by an unseen hand. Flowey trembles. "You... _you..._ " he growls.

Suddenly, all the attacks disappear. Frisk jerks her head up to see Flowey, giving her the absolute trolliest of all troll faces. The voice swallows.

 _File 3 loaded..._ they murmur, so quietly Frisk can hardly hear it. Her eyes widen. No, no wait, no, that can't have happened. But when she looks at Flowey's HP bar, it's full again. Not a scratch on him. She can only say one thing.

"No."

Flowey's grinning from one side of his screen to another. "You _idiot_ ," he cackles, then fires a bright blue laser straight into Frisk. She tries to scream at the brief, excruciating pain, but it's all too fast. And then, suddenly, she's back, standing right where she was, unharmed.

 _File 3 loaded._

Flowey cackles again, then shoots a dozen vines right through Frisk. Again the pain is horrible, but she's back before she can even register that she had died. Then it happens again, and again. It's the laser, then the vines, then laser then vines. Over and over Frisk dies, laser then vines then laser than vines, too fast for the voice to even narrate. Again and again her soul cracks into a million red shards, fifty, no, a hundred times. Frisk wants so badly to cry, so badly to scream and let out all her fear and anguish, but it's all too fast. She can't even move between all the Reloading. She's stuck, immobilized, in one place to die until Flowey gets bored and just ends it.

But then it stops long enough for Frisk to collapse onto her hands and knees, trembling like a leaf. Her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes.

"Hee hee hee. Did you _really_ think you could... defeat me?" Flowey asks gleefully. Frisk keeps her head down. "I am the _god_ of this world. And _you_? You're _hopeless_. In more ways than one, may I add."

Frisk looks up now, tears welling in her eyes. That feeling of triumph is so far away now, what had felt so good and right now gone. Hope is gone too, the memory of her blasted away by all the lasers. Now that she's here, defeated, the reality of it all begins to set in. Finally, under the prying eyes of Flowey, Frisk begins to cry.

She cries as a child, a sister, an orphan. Doomed to die.

* * *

(A/N

*sniff* I'm not crying you're crying. IT'S JUST RAINING IN MY EYES!

Fun fact: I listened to You Worst Nightmare, Finale, and His Theme on loop while I wrote this. Pretty good combo, I thought it helped a lot.

But yeah, so, this is a lot. Frisk goes from "Hulk smash!" to "No no wait, determination," to "Yes yes yes!" to "Crap why?!" in a span of 3,500 words. Dang.

I'm actually still listening to His Theme. It's making me so sad! ='(

Welp, Hope you liked this chapter, and please follow, favorite, and review if you enjoyed!


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

"Aw, are you going to cry now? Are you really that hopeless and alone?" Flowey laughs. "Well, golly, that's right isn't it? Your _worthless_ friends can't save you now. Not even your cowardly sister."

Frisk glances up at Flowey through her bangs, setting her mouth in a line. The tears continue to roll down her cheeks as she stands, clenching her tiny fists.

"Oh, are you all big and strong now?" Flowey asks. "Are you gathering your courage? Your _determination_?" He grins.

"No one will save you. Not even you."

He grins. "But really, who's to stop you from trying? It could end up being mighty entertaining for me." Flowey winks in the playful way he does. "Cry into the darkness, I dare you. 'Mommy! Daddy! Hope! Somebody help me!' " A wicked smile curves across his face.

Frisk closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. Slowly the trail of tears begin to ebb, and she yells as loud as she possibly can.

" _HELP!_ "

Her voice is so loud that it echoes around her several times, and she blinks open her eyes. Flowey's once-innocent face appears onscreen again, more Flowey-y again.

Don't judge me. I think how I want to.

"But nobody came," he murmurs, faking a pout. "Boy! What a shame! Nobody else... is gonna get to see you _die_!"

A wide petal ring forms around Frisk, glinting in warning. Frisk swallows down her dread. Hopelessness' yawning gap opens before her, but she stands strong. The least she can do is show Flowey she's not scared. The petals jolt once, then race toward her in a closing loop. Frisk tenses, bracing herself for the coming pain when-

Nothing happens.

Frisk's eyes widen. The petals are... gone?

"What?" Flowey asks blankly, the same grin still frozen on his face. Panic glints in his eyes. "How'd you...? Oh, well, I'll just..."

 _Load failed,_ the voice giggles quietly, disbelievingly. _It failed. He failed!_

Beads of sweat begin to form on Flowey's screen. "Wh-where are my powers?" His face pales when the six souls appear around him. "The souls...? What are they doing?"

Frisk watches in shock as the monstrosity of a flower, so frightening just a minute ago, begins to tremble. The souls each flash in unison, then shoot colored beams at Flowey. Frisk braces her feet against the feet as the shock wave blows past her. Her hair flies out behind her as Flowey begins to flash colors, the colors of the souls. His vibrating form blurs.

"NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" he shouts. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME! STOP!" A sonic boom knocks Frisk over. She scrambles back onto her hands and knees.

"STOP IT! STOOOOPPPP!" Flowey shrieks, his voice cracking from strain. There's another, louder boom which sends Frisk tumbling head over heels. She yells in shock as her vision explodes into white.

Frisk lays on the ground for a moment, stunned and not entirely sure of what just happened. Was Flowey beat? Did the souls beat him? She sits up, blinking away the haze.

Flowey sits on the ground, hunched over in defeated. He won't look Frisk in the eye. Frisk stands and clenches her fists.

 _...What do you choose?_

Frisk looks down at her boxes. They're the same choices as always, except now they're different. Unlike every other monster monster, Flowey doesn't deserve mercy. He never will. Why give it to him? Why let him escape, let him win, when he'd never do the same? She grits her teeth. Every fiber of her being wants to kick, punch, scream. But...

Frisk closes her eyes. Hope's right, isn't she? Mercy is kind. Mercy is good. Everybody always has to forgive everybody, and that's how it goes. Hope would want her to be kind, and deep down... she wants to be kind, too.

Opening her eyes, Frisk chooses what she knows is right. Both buttons disappear. Flowey turns his head just a little.

"...What are you doing?" he whispers. He turns his head a little more, allowing Frisk just a glimpse of his spine-tingling smile. "Do you really think I've learned anything from this?"

Frisk's eyebrows furrow. "Yes," she answers, unwavering. Flowey chuckles, lowering his head.

"No."

Frisk huffs, again pressing MERCY. She crosses her arms. Flowey shakes his head.

"Sparing me won't change anything."

"It will," Frisk insists.

"It won't," Flowey counters. "Not now, not ever. You're wasting your time."

Frisk chooses MERCY again, waiting.

"Killing me is the only way to end this," Flowey warns. He turns his head, letting his eyes follow her hand as she chooses MERCY once again. Frisk locks eyes and takes in his scarred face, the criss-crossing lines. His smile chills her to the bones.

"If you let me live..." he shakes his head again, straightening to his full (short) height and facing Frisk. "I'll come back."

Frisk spares him, shrugging.

Flowey's face is unchanging. "I'll kill you," he threatens. His eyes widen. "I'll kill you all."

Frisk spares Flowey again. He chuckles. His grin widens into a thing of childhood nightmares. He looks insane. He _is_ insane. "I'll kill you all."

Spare.

Flowey shakes his head. "That was your last mistake," he growls, then pulls a hidden vine out of the ground. In its tendrils is a purple soul.

Frisk pales. Flowey grows again, laughing with maniacal glee.

"See? See?" he gloats, laughing. "Killing is the only answer! Killing is the only way to survive. Because of you and your _mercy_ , I can _crush you_!"

With a giant vine, Flowey whips out and slams down on Frisk. She screams briefly, crouching down and covering her head. But the pain doesn't come.

Confused, Frisk glances up. Flowey's vine hovers just above her. It trembles, but refuses to move.

 _"WHAT?! Why? Why_?" Flowey screeches. He summons dozens of other vines and pounding Frisk with them. They all freeze inches from Frisk's head.

"Aaaaargh! NO!" Again Flowey tries, still failing to get within even three feet of Frisk this time. Flowey shrieks in anguish. His vines glow purple.

Frisk's thoughts jumble together in a heap of awe and fear. Flowey trembles and shrieks as the grow brightens. It continues to expand until Frisk can't watch and Flowey's shrieks fade into nothing. The purple light subsides.

"Hi Frisk," whispers a familiar voice .

Frisk whirls around, eyes wide. Her heart beats fast. Breathing is hard, too hard, and suddenly everything fades. Words rise and fade, along with a million other things. And then she's running, running to her light, her shelter, her sister.

Her Hope.

"Oof!" Hope giggles as Frisk flies into her, knocking both girls to the ground. Frisk laughs too, staring right at Hope. Her smile fades.

A purple aura surrounds Hope, just like on the vines. It's not just an aura though. Hope herself is purple. Her eyes, her hair, her clothes, all purple and glowing. Everything.

"Yeah, I know," Hope murmurs, smiling softly. "It's the hair, right?" Frisk giggles, wrinkling nose.

"No!" she shouts. "Glow!" Hope's eyes widen in mock surprise.

"Purple! Where?" Hope asks, looking down at her arm the exaggerating a gasp. Frisk giggles again. Hope grins.

"Nah, you saw right through me," she said, ruffling Frisk's hair. Hope chuckles then looks distant, her smile smile slowly fading.

"Okay?" Frisk asks, concerned. Hope glances back.

"What, me? I'm fine," she answered, smirking. "Just... thinkin'."

"About death?" Flowey mutters behind them.

Hope's expression darken as she turns to the flower. Flowey shrinks back instinctively, then forces himself to straighten. "Yeah, you heard me, ghost girl. You're dead. Dead!"

Frisk gasps. Dead. Hope is dead. But... no she's not. She's here. Hope turns back to Frisk, tears faint in her eyes. She can't be dead if she's here, right?

"Alive," Frisk murmurs, staring unblinking into Hope's eyes. "Alive."

Hope looks away. "Hey, um, can you get off me for a sec?" she asks, looking back at Flowey. Frisk scrambles off of her sister

"You don't scare me!" Flowey sneers, glaring stubbornly at Hope.

"I know," Hope answers coolly. "Nothing scares you, right?"

"Yeah, especially not you," Flowey growls. "You're a coward and a weakling! You cant hurt anyone!"

Hope smiles faintly. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She takes a step toward Flowey. "But you can. And do."

The smile melts off Flowey's face. "And?"

"And? What and?" Hope shakes her head. "Does that not bother you? Is there truly nothing you care enough about to save?"

Flowey scoffs. "Don't try to get through to me, Hope. It'll never work."

Hope looks at the ground. "I don't believe that," she whispers. The silence that stretches between them seems to last a lifetime before Hope turns to Frisk again.

"Alright little sister. It's your turn." she says, tears glowing in her eyes. "I know you'll make me proud."

Frisk runs towards Hope, arms outstretched, and squeezes her sister. "Hope," she sobs.

Hope smiles, clinging tightly to her sister. "I know Frisk. I'm sorry." She leans in and whispers into Frisks hair, "I love you."

Then, in an instant, she's gone, sending Frisk stumbling forward. "No!" she screams, sobbing. "Hope!"

Flowey says nothing as e watches. Frisk can't look at him. She can't bear to see his mean, horrible face mocking her. But when she finally looks, there's no cruelty. His petals droop ever so slightly, his mouth tilting in a small frown. It's not saddness, not exactly. But there's no harshness either.

Flowey watches as the choices appear in front of Frisk, then shakes his head. "Do whatever you want," he murmurs, then laughs quietly. "I deserve it."

The Flowey in front of Frisk is not cruel, is not mean. His petals droops ever so slightly. His leaves look more wilted than Frisk remembers them. His face isn't sad, not exactly. It's an expression Frisk can't place, but she knows it. Of course she knows it.

Flowey looks up to see Frisk spare him.

"You don't make any sense," he mutters. "I killed your sister." He swivels around to face her, his own brand of determination burning in his eyes. "The ghost? The dead one? The one you were just crying about? That's my fault! Me!" He cranes his stem forward. "I did that!"

Flowey smiles as Frisk again chooses MERCY. "Fine. Keep sparing me. See what else I have up my sleeve."

Flowey's smile shrinks when Frisk spares him again. His eyebrows furrow as she does it again. "Why?!" he asks angrily. His frown turns into a grimace.

"...why are you being..." he pauses, frowning. "...so nice to me?"

Hope sparks in Frisk. He's becoming good now, right? This is when she starts to win, right? This is why she gives mercy?

"I can't understand," he whispers. MERCY. "I can't understand!"

Frisk watches in silence, shocked, as Flowey trembles violently. His stem wobbles so much he can hardly keep himself from falling over like any other flower in the cold. He sobs once, sees Frisk's hand hovering over the MERCY button, and disappears into the ground.

 _Flowey_ _ran away._

Frisk watches in shock. "No," she murmurs. This is... wrong. Did she win? Flowey's gone, but that's not right, is it? Isn't everyone supposed to be happy when she wins? Isn't she supposed to save everybody?

Stone gray pillars appear in front of Frisk, and it takes her a moment to realize what she's looking at. It's the entrance to the world above. Her way out of the Underground. She hesitates for a moment. Should she walk through? Some part of her resists, but then she remembers the sun. The warmth. The light. The joy it brings. It's enough to convince her, so she walks forward through the gate. Everything disappears again.

* * *

Hello everyone. Yes, I'm here. I know I've been gone a long time, so... sorry. I've had a lot of personal and health issues this year, so I haven't really been thinking about FanFiction at all. So I'm really sorry about that. As you can see, this chapter isn't particularly interesting, but I'm HOPE-ing the next one will be more worth your guys' while. Until next time, happy reading! Please follow, favorite, and review if you liked this, and glorious reading to all you peeps still reading this!


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